High School is a real Ed
by Harusora4
Summary: Ed Edd n Eddy have finally passed middle school feeling bigger and better than ever. Yet as high school goes on the Ed's realize that the new challenges they have not only will test them, but everyone else as well.
1. Summers over

Short

The school year had been so short. From Edd's point of view at least, his 2 best friends had complained that it had been way to long for their liking but for Edd it had been a wonderful time of learning, pranking, and scamming.

But it would all be over soon. He knew it in the back of his mind whenever a day went by or some momentous event happened. There was always some nagging feeling that he should cherish it before it all went away, and today was that day. Edd was sitting by his 2 best friends Eddy and Ed, the ones who he had spent his entire childhood with and would continue to go on with for as long as it took because now that high school would start tomorrow, he knew he would lose a lot of friends and time with them, but he refused to lose these 2 people.

"Dang, why does summer always go by so fast," Eddy complained, even though they had done every kind of scam known to man.

Ed looked a bit gloom. "Yaaa it's not fair,"

Of course Edd had to be the voice of reason, he stood up putting an arm around each of his friends "Gentlemen I think we've had a very industrious summer," He pat them on the shoulders to emphasize his statement, and to partly get Ed's attention he was looking at a butterfly.

"Ya well this is still stupid," Eddy grunted, standing up and shaking Ed's arm off "school still sucks, even if we did have a good summer it aint gunna make up for school."

Ed tackled Eddy, sending them both flying away from the hill of garbage they were previously sitting on. "It has to Eddy!" Ed whined, his eyes watering as Eddy flailed under him. "I don't want to forget the summer!"

"Get off me Ed!"

"Eddy I don't wanna cry!"

"Then don't cry stupid!"

Edd rolled his eyes at his friend's antics, both which seemed funny and just weird at the same time. He decided that once again he would have to break this one up.

"Eddy, Ed," He called, calmly getting their attention. "Instead of fighting each other, why not just sit back and relax, we've barely done that this summer." He got a grunt from Eddy, who squeezed himself from underneath Ed, and a sad look from Ed who still didn't want summer to end.

"Come on lumpy, for once Sockheads right we haven't relaxed in a while,"

That comment momentarily stunned Edd. He still wasn't used to Eddy maturing. Sometimes it just shocked him to see Eddy agree with him at some points, or to help him with a scam, it was just native to him. But he didn't voice that as Eddy and Ed sat back down next to him on the hill, staring at the setting sun and thinking about the future that was sure to be hard, but Edd knew it would be well worth it because he would be living that future with his best friends.

He just knew it.

_-WHACK!_

Eddy dramatically slammed his hand down on his digital alarm clock that for some reason rang instead of beeped. At first he shut his eyes again and tried to drift back to sleep, but then he remembered what day it was and groaned.

First day of being a freshman.

He knew what that meant. His brother had told him a long time ago what happened to freshmen, they were bullied pranked on, beaten up even, just so the older kids could feel better. Sure he'd do the same thing in his position, but getting dunked in a toilet looks a lot different when you're the one dunking. These thoughts haunted him as he walked down the hallway to the bathroom. He smiled, the hallway always looked weird ever since he had gotten too big for his old room and now had his brother's.

"EDDY IM MAKING BREKFEAST!" His mom's shrill voice stole his smile away but it returned when he looked in the mirror.

He had gotten taller during the summer going from 4 foot 11 to a whopping 5 foot 10. No longer was he the smallest Ed. That was all Double D now and he never let him forget it. He flexed shirtless in-front of the mirror, he had also toned out too, his chubby look had now gone into a lean toned teenager.

Eddy stepped into his shower after he had stripped his clothes off, enjoying the hot water wash over him and warm his body. He poured the shampoo in his jet black hair, running his hand through the somewhat spiky hair that had matted itself down over the summer and almost gave him bangs yet still had a certain spikiness to it.

He walked to his closet which held many different kinds of clothing. He put on blue baggy jeans and a white long sleeve shirt, lastly came a blue short sleeved shirt that had a red stripe going down it like his old shirt had. Looking back in the mirror he smiled at himself.

Yup he defiantly had changed, and it was all for the better.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP-Click _

Edd was already up and ready by the time his clock had started its alarm. The only reason he had stayed in his bed was because of a force of habit that he had. He quickly got up and pressed a button on his controller that he kept by his bed, and the robotic arms buzzed to life creaking and cracking as they moved around the room.

He had installed them during the summer to help him shave a total of 10 minutes off his usual time. Edd ran into his restroom, neatly folding his clothes before he walked in the shower, letting the robot arm turn it on, another brush his teeth, while the next one washed him with soap. When he was finished he put his hat on his raven black hair, which fit perfectly around his head. The feeling made him sigh. His hats had tightened during the summer and now since the company he bought them from didn't sell them any longer he would have to find a replacement for his hats soon.

He sighed again his bodily changes were really starting to become a detrimental part of his life.

_WE WOO WE WOO WE WO-CRACK! _

Ed broke yet another siren clock as he woke up. Cracking his back and grunting when he rolled off his bed and onto the cold floor, at first he was stunned, but then he shot up and threw his covers off of him.

"C-c-cold," He breathed, shivering slightly.

He managed to get to the restroom and jump into the bathtub turning on the water and letting it hit him, still dressed in his underwear and wife beater. The warm water sprayed over his shaggy orange hair. He had gone in the shower only for the warmth, because what else could showers be used for? He finished, throwing his wet clothes in the shower for his mom to get and putting on his own clothes a white t-shirt with a brown jacket and brown cargo pants. He had to get rid of all his old clothes because he had outgrown them all, and by outgrown he meant they looked like baby clothes. He was 6 foot and everything had to go including the green coat that he had loved so much.

He walked over to the mirror checking himself. He still had that lean side to him but he had gotten wider and defiantly looked stronger and bigger. It didn't really matter to him how he changed, he was still the lovable oaf everyone had come to love after the whole Eddy big brother adventure, the kids still liked hanging out with them all. That's why he would miss the summer, because it was the first where everyone was happy and hung out together.

He almost cried as he walked away from the mirror, into the living room.

The bus stop on the sidewalk that had waited the 3 best friends was quiet. Dented, scarred, and places where the cement was removed where signs that they had been there at one point, but no longer would they wait there. The 3 boys walked past it un-knowingly pushing past their childhood memories of the place.

Eddy walked with forced pride in his steps, getting ready to walk in Peach creek high school like he literally owned the place, while Ed walked cautiously, each step scaring him more and more. The bus stop was farther, and he dreaded every extra step. Edd on the other hand was actually somewhat excited about school, after learning so much during the school year and in the summer he would just be re taught everything he had taught himself.

They waited by the bus stop, or the 'new weird looking bus stop' by what Ed called it. Eddy was rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and Ed was crying his out. Double D had decided to calm Ed down because he knew Eddy wasn't so good at that (judging by past events in life).

Eddy sat down on the ground. "Wow, this is sad I'm waiting for a bus to take me away to a place I don't even want to go to," He raised his hands in the air to emphasize his statement "school! who configured them!"

Edd sat down by Ed and pat him on the back. "Well actually Eddy if you think about it school started whe-MPHL." Edd was cut off by a giant lovable oaf hugging him.

He hugged tighter, suffocating poor Edd. "Say it aint so!" He cried, hugging impossible harder.

Edd finally managed to squeeze his head out of his grasp. "ED! Personal space next time please," He gasped rubbing his face, hoping the smell would rub off as well.

Ed whimpered, staring at his friend with sadness that broke his heart. Edd grabbed Ed and pulled him closer patting his back again. "It's ok Ed everything will be alright, you'll like school," while comforting him Edd looked over at Eddy he had been to quiet.

What he saw surprised him. Eddy was in deep thought staring at a part in the ground and tapping his finger on the cement. Without stopping his patting Edd called out to Eddy softly, trying to get his attention.

"What do you want," Eddy snapped, quickly glaring at him. "I was thinking of something important here."

"That's what worried me," Edd smiled.

"Ha-ha-ha who made you Mr. Comedian?"

Double-D looked back at Ed before he spoke again. "What were you thinking about Eddy?"

"Stuff," Eddy whispered, looking in the opposite direction.

Edd smiled, this was a first. Eddy being worried didn't happen a lot, especially when it came to something so trivial as school. Then again he knew that he had learned a lot more than the 2 people at his sides and he was coming in confident, while these two were probably a little anxious and stressed. Maybe that's why they were acting weird today. Before he could finish thinking Eddy slapped his back.

"Stop thinking so much," He smirked, some kind of glint in his eyes that even gave Edd hope. "We'll be fine, I don't know how we'll do it, but it'll get done somehow." his smirk never wavered and Edd knew he was telling the truth.

"It's fine. I know you 2 will get through school all right, but that's because I'll be tutoring you guys for the rest of the high school years," it was Edd's turn to smirk now, he had been waiting for the right moment to spring this on them, and he guessed that this would be that moment.

Both Eddy and Edd looked at him surprised by his comment. Sure he had somewhat helped them last year but now he was really committed to it, he wanted them to learn and get out of school with good grades. Apart of him knew it was also a little selfish, he just wanted them to get good grades so they could go to the same classes but it was a win win situation for them all.

"Well it'll be easy since we're all in honor's," Eddy's smile widened, somehow Ed and Eddy had gotten in honors and he was still ecstatic about it "well except for math at least cause your too smart for our math." it was true Edd had gotten into a higher math and would be away for one of the classes it was 5/6 which was still good.

"It'll be easy!" Eddy voiced, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back on the sidewalk. "With your brain, Ed's brawn, and my overall awesome leadership we'll pass this year with flying colors."

Ed, for once in a long time smiled "Really Eddy do ya really think so?"

"Course I do lumpy, as long as it's us 3 there's no limit to what we can do."

It was with that uplifting comment that the other kids started to show up at the bus stop, each looking tired and for some mad. Everyone talked like they had in the summer, and it was like there was no school at all, everyone was just happy to see each other and be able to tell their own cool little stories. Edd noticed that both Eddy and Ed seemed very happy to talk to everyone, and Edd was just as happy if not more so, because now he had something else besides brain coming in to high school. As the bus approached and stopped in-front of them he knew he would be fine, like he had known this whole time, because all of his friends would be coming with him, and that made it all the better.

He just knew it.


	2. New beginning

**A/N: Well look at me finally getting the 2****nd**** chapter in. I'm really sorry for taking so long to get the chapter in and I promise that I'm already working on the 3****rd**** chapter as we speak :D. I hope you guys like this one and I will continue the story x3. **

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own Ed Edd and Eddy or any of the other characters associated with the cartoon. **

**Chapter 2: New beginning **

The bus ride was uncomfortable to say the least for Edd. The bus had picked up so many kids that the whole thing was filled by the time they had gotten to school, and the relentless noise of kids talking amongst themselves almost gave him a headache. When he was finally able to get out of the bus he got a good look at the giant school he now found himself at. It was very large to say the least, it made his older school look very small in comparison.

Walking up to the school gave Eddy some kind of weird feeling that he couldn't place. He knew he hadn't felt it before.

Anger, with some fear maybe?

No. It was mostly anger. He could feel it spread across him like a disease. It made him want to just run and never come back to the place. Yet here he was, walking with his best friends to their shared locker inside the school (the school was so full that the 3 had to share) it didn't bother him that much, he wouldn't put much in it except all the A's he was going to get this year. He started to get his walk down and his smile up. He walked with confidence, if anyone would have looked at him it would have seemed like he was the king of the world and was only going to school was to gloat about it (which is kind of what he felt like he was). All three of the boys went to the locker and started packing it with their things. For Edd it was an array of calculator's, dividers, and a ruler was in there somewhere, for Ed it was just some disturbingly cold gravy, which made both Eddy and Ed just exchanged weird looks before Ed spoke up.

"Ed, you can't put gravy in the locker it's just not sanitary."

"B-but Double-D," Ed whined giving him puppy dog eyes. "I wanna!"

Edd sighed, when it came to Ed's gravy, it was almost impossible to get through to him.

"Ed," Double-D started, going into parent mode. "I don't want something that's supposed to go on mashed potatoes in my locker. I'm sorry Ed, but it must go" He did feel bad for him, it was like Edd going on without his hat, or Eddy without his witty responses. It made them who they were the norm so to say, but in this case it made insects and other vermin want to come into the locker.

"I'll take away my gravy…if you give me your hat."

"O not this again!"

"Don't be a Mr. Stinky hat."

"Eddy!"

Eddy, quickly thrust his hand inside the locker. Pulling out the big gravy pot and dumping the contents into the trash closest to them, before either of the party could say anything Eddy reached back into the locker and pulled out a ruler, throwing it over to Ed.

"There," He sighed, slowly giving into his impatience nature "now go make it a sword or something, but you're not keeping your gravy in this locker, or ill ship you off to another school!" Eddy walked away towards their first period class.

Ed had successfully been distracted by Double-D's favorite ruler (he had tried to tell Eddy but he only got a glare in reply). When they walked into their 1st period History class, Mr. Rogers greeted them. Eddy could already tell what kind of teacher he was by his goofy tie, weird shirt, and funny glasses. He was one of the teachers that wanted all his kids to like him. Eddy was perfectly fine with that, as long as he could pass the guys class he didn't care if the guy wore a clown costume every day.

Almost everyone was in the class, except for Kevin and Nazz. Sarah and Jimmy still went to the middle school so it was just Rolph, Jonny and the Ed's each looking at this weird teacher and thinking about how they could manipulate the guy into just letting them all get the grades they needed.

A student that Eddy didn't know raised their hand, asking questions about what they would do throughout the year, and what kind of things they would be learning. Eddy already knew that the kid must be a teacher's pet; he was about to yell that out when Ed lightly tapped his elbow, stopping him, and giving him a stern look.

Eddy didn't really pay attention to what the teacher was saying. It wasn't that he didn't care. It was just he didn't need to know about the guy. All he wanted was to get through this class in one piece, that's what he wanted with all his classes, and knowing that the guy used to ride a motorcycle didn't really help that (even though it was still pretty cool). It was time to really get serious and crack down on his grades, not like he did when he was in middle school or elementary, he was finally going to get serious about it.

Even Edd found it harder and harder to pay attention to the man. He was talking about something that didn't have anything to do with the subject he was supposedly, supposed to teach. Edd had all his appropriate school supplies out and ready for use if the teacher should ask of it, but all he was explaining was how he played on the x-box 360. Edd was perfectly fine with a teacher who wanted to establish a good relationship with the other students, but he just got the feeling that he wouldn't do much in the class, then again it was the first day and Edd couldn't judge a teacher by the first day.

Mr. Rodgers seemed to finish up his talk because he turned back to the class "So that's my life in a nut shell, does anyone have any questions to ask?"

"Do you read any cool comics like 'gorgon the rabbit head'?" Ed asked, looking forward towards the teacher and practically jumping out of his seat. It was one of the most out of placed questions of the day, and it earned him the attention of all the other kids, but that's just who Ed was, Random to no end.

The teachers smile seemed to widen before he answered. "Ya actually I have a huge comic collection from when I was a kid," He tried not to jump up and down from excitement, and was failing miserably "actually that's one of my favorite comic as well as 'cornrall the flying zorback' that's pretty cool too."

The rest of the class consisted of the 2 of them talking about their collection of comics, and bragging of how many they had. When the bell finally rang Edd tried his best to get out of the class as fast as he could, while Eddy had to practically drag Ed away from the class room.

Second period was science with Mrs. Snider, one of Edd's most favorite classes. A lot of the kids whispered that her name sounded like 'spider' and because of that it meant she was a mean teacher. Edd tried not to follow their example; instead he sat in the front row with his 2 best friends. When the teacher walked in Edd knew she meant business with a capital B. She oozed a certain strict trait that made all the kids quiet down instantly. The women seemed to stare down at all the kids, taking each one in as she crossed the threshold from her door to her table at the front of the class.

Eddy visibly flinches when she stared at him. "Did you see that Double-D?" He managed to ask while she looked through her desk. "It's like she's trying to look at our souls or something."

"Let's just hope that's all." Double-D gulped.

Ed was too scared to talk. He just let the teacher stare him down and tried his best not to look scared but he's failing pretty badly.

She wrote her name down on the board, then the date, then the assignment she was going to give to the class.

"By now you all should know that my name is Mrs. Snider," She said, looking around the class, her brown eyes not stopping on a single student this time, they just glanced around at everyone. "I'm glad that I've got a lot of students this year, the more students the more I teach." she turned around and drew 2 symbols on the board.

"Can anyone tell me what these are?" She asks, pointing to the elements.

"Aren't you going to tell us about your life?" One of the students asked, she looks at her clip board before answering him.

"I would really like if you raised your hand before you interrupt my teaching."

"Well I was just saying, my last teacher explained who he was before he started teaching."

She stared at the poor kid a moment before answering him, "Jon I told you to raise your hand and you disobeyed me again, so I would appreciate it if you waited out in the hall while I teach." It sounded so calm and menacing at the same time. Edd could practically feel the hate off her words attack the boy.

He looked shocked at first, but he said nothing as he walked outside of the room, letting the door close a little loudly, it seemed to echo in the now dead silent classroom.

"I am here to teach, and you are here to learn, I don't like it when people interrupt what I'm doing, so I would very much like it if you all had enough respect to wait before blurting something out."

Edd raises his hand, trying to both stop her from lecturing the class, and to answer the question, "those are the tin and iron symbols from the periodic table." He put absolute respect in his answer just to show that he meant just as much business as she did.

She smiled, and went on with her lecture.

2 more kids were kicked out of the class when it ended. Somehow Eddy stayed quiet and listened to the lecture, so did Ed.

They started walking to their third period English class, some kids bumped into Edd to show that they weren't happy with him answering the questions, but Eddy and Ed didn't notice. He counted himself lucky for that, he didn't want some big fight to happen on the first day of school.

The teachers name was Mr. Karter and for Eddy he seemed like a cool guy.

"Hi guys and gals," He greeted, walking into the class room like he was walking into his house "I know it sucks that your back in school and all, but I promise my class won't be one that you dread the whole year." the man went to talk about the schedule of the year and how they could get some extra credit points. He was the exact opposite of Mrs. Snider, which is exactly why Eddy liked him.

Nothing much happened after that, the boys were introduced to their Spanish 4th period teacher Mr. Jenkins (Eddy made fun of his name and he shied away), 5th period Math Mrs. Ronan and for Edd Mr. Clark, and last but not least Info-tech with Mr. Larson. None of the teachers made an impact on the boys as the first 3 but all of them had lucked out this year and gotten really good teachers. Luckily all of them had the same lunch time as well which added to the 'luck in school' list.

When the final bell rang, Eddy was practically running out of the classroom.

"E-Eddy wait up," Edd called, packing his things quickly, he didn't want to get left behind by his best friends, but mid-way through packing Ed ran away as well. "Ed, not you too!" Quickly packing his things, Edd ran after his friends, but something stopped him at the door. A very nice looking, blond beauty, something.

Nazz stood in-front of him looking as good as ever. Everything about her was flawless, the way her white blouse made her look more mature, how her smile showed perfectly white teeth that seemed to shine in the room. Nazz practically acted the same as she had when they first did. She was still mature and very kind, still having the same 'baby sitter mind set' with many of things in life. Like Edd had noticed before she wore a white sleeveless blouse and black crop pants.

She looked at him.

He looked at her.

They looked at each other.

But he didn't do what needed to be done. He didn't _say_ anything to her. His entire being was shaking slightly at the mere sight of the girl, if only looking at her made him this nervous then talking might just kill him.

Luckily she did the talking.

"Hi Double-D," She greeted, giving him a small smile and a little wave (which made her look o so cute to Edd).

His voice threatened to give way when he finally tried to talk, "Hi…um Nazz,"

"What are you doing here?"

"Well…I was just…um t-this is my class," Edd mentally slapped himself for stuttering as much as he was, it wasn't just that he was looking like a fool in-front of Nazz but his grammar was going to shame.

She looked surprised, "Really? I'm thinking about switching into this class," She sounded excited, which meant that she wanted to be in the same class, or at least that's what Edd hopped for.

"Well I hope to see you in the same classroom as I am," Edd politely exclaimed trying not to sound too excited about seeing the girl of his dreams in the same class as himself.

Her smile seemed to widen, but before they could continue Kevin came from behind Nazz and put his arm around her. Edd knew he hadn't done it on purpose, but his heart still seemed to crack when Kevin had done that simple gesture. He gave him a cool smile that seemed genuine.

Kevin had gotten taller during the summer as well; he was now an inch or two ahead of Edd. He had switched his red hat for a black one and wore a blue muscle shirt to show off how much he had worked out. Edd understood why he was so confident with Nazz now. While the Ed's had been running away from the cul-de-sac kids, Kevin and Nazz had their own little personal time together. He knew when it came to looks Kevin beat him easily, and in his mind it was only a matter of time before Nazz and Kevin got together in more than a plutonic relationship. But it still hurt to see how intimate they were getting even at the cul-de-sac they would sit a little closer to each other, and Edd's heart would come closer and closer to breaking.

"Hey Double-D, what's up?"

Edd didn't want to talk all of a sudden. "I'm fine Kevin. Thank you, but I have to go now. My apologies Ed and Eddy are surly waiting for me to walk with them." He hurried off, before they could say anything else.

Before his heart broke even more.

Like he knew. Both his best friends were waiting for him in the front of the school. Eddy looked impatient while Ed was chasing a butterfly and running over all the school flowers.

"What took'ya," Eddy impatiently voiced. "We were waiting out here for forever. What, did the teacher already tell you that you passed his class?"

"I'm sorry I had a run in with Nazz, and Kevin." Edd tried his best not to sound somber.

Of course Eddy picked up on what Edd truly meant; Eddy had given up on Nazz a while ago. After they had gotten back from Eddy's bro's place. Ed never really liked Nazz, she was just the only other girl in the cul-de-sac and he had figured this out the same time Eddy had. Double-D thought he had gotten over it as well but the wall of his love was too high to get over. Eddy walked over to Edd and slung his arm around him, his way or being comforting.

"Double-D, we've been over this," Eddy started, pocking Edd in the chest a little hard for the easily bruised boy, "if you're going to get sad whenever Kevin and Nazz get together, then you have to fight for her." Eddy made his statement more powerful by pocking him again.

"You know that's difficult for someone like me Eddy," Edd sighed, they had been through this a lot lately and it always went right back to him feeling bad for being shy. "It can be quick unnerving to express ones feelings of love."

"Na, it's easy Sock-head," Eddy moved away from Edd and walked backwards and in front of him. "You just walk straight up to her, look her in the eyes, and give her a big wet smooch." Eddy gave him a wink, telling him that he was picking on him just a little.

"It's not that…" Edd paused, thinking about what he was going to say next, but to Eddy he seemed to be beating himself up. "I don't want to go and fight for Nazz, because I truly think that if I did that my newly earned relationship with Kevin and Nazz might disappear and be replaced by the same hatred from before."

Ed came from behind Double-D and looked at his sad face. He started to mirror it. "It's ok Double-D, cause even if that happens you'll still have me and Eddy, we won't ever hate you." Ed put on his best smile for Double-D.

Double-D pat Ed on his head. "Thank you Ed." He smiled, more for Ed's sake than his own, but sometimes Ed would say the nicest things to put him to a slight ease.

Eddy lightly slapped Ed across the shoulder and gave him a thumb's up.

They walked for some time in silence before Eddy spoke up, changing the mood of the previous conversation.

"Why are we walking home?" Eddy asked lightly changing the subject for Edd's sake. "We took the bus here so shouldn't we take it back?"

It took Edd a minute to realize that they were, in fact. Walking to Edd's house, it was in sight now and he could make out some of the cul-de-sac kids playing around. Jimmy and Sarah were playing ball by Ed's house, Rolph and Jonny were playing around with Rolphs animals, and Kevin and Nazz were sitting on the sidewalk watching everyone fool around. Even with the talk from before, Edd's heart seemed to lurch at the sight, but Eddy lightly pushed him.

"Your time will come," He smirked, looking over at Nazz. "Just give it a while."

And again the look of confidence in his eyes made Edd believe him. They looked so sure, so absolutely positive, that it seemed like he had already seen into the future and knew what would happen.

This time Edd's smile was genuine. "Thanks Eddy."

"Don't mention it lover boy."

**Showing some best-friendship there x3. I wanted to show how much the boys have matured and how much each mean to each other and o think I've done pretty well here. **

**So ****Please Review so I know I'm pleasing my readers :). **


	3. Times before

**A/N: Look at me actually getting chapter 3 done in less than a month. Didn't I tell you guys that I would actually be working on my story :)? I hope you enjoy it and keep on reading, because I'm already working on chapter 4. **

**Chapter 3: Times before**

When the three boys entered Edd's home they were strictly ordered to remove their shoes before they came in. By now both boys had been told this rule at least a thousand times each, but even now they had to be reminded of Edd's long list of house rules. The first thing anyone would notice in the house was the hundreds of sticky notes that littered the walls, shelves, and even the refrigerator. On each note was a message in neat handwriting about what the young boy should do when he got home from school or when he woke up. Some told him to iron the tux his dad was planning to wear for a meeting, while others would simply tell him that they loved him, and there was the occasional note that would address Ed or Eddy in it like "make sure Eddy doesn't burn the house again." or "Please tell Ed that we need to eat as well, so eating all the food might not help us with that." if they hadn't done anything bad the whole week the notes might actually say good things in them like telling Edd to tell them that his parents had actually said hi to them.

The only homework they had gotten toady was from Mrs. Snider. Eddy knew that they would not get along at all this year. She reminded him of a strict teacher that put way too much into her work, while Eddy pretty much did the opposite of that. He knew that he would have some serious trouble with that teacher, and it didn't help that she was in his first period either, that was when he was most irritable and so tired he would yell at the pope if they got in his way.

They all sat around Edd's table and pulled out the science homework. Edd pulled out all his equipment, his pencils, pens, and even the notes he took on the first day. Eddy only had one pencil and his homework out. He intentionally sat next to Edd just in case he needed help, but he had high hopes for himself, he had actually paid some kind of attention to the teacher. Ed sat on the other side of Double-D hoping that some of his smartness would go to him if he sat near the hat wearing boy.

There were 5 questions all together, but each one would take anyone at least 30 minutes each.

"Double-D, when exactly did homework become so hard that you couldn't even do it at home?" Eddy groaned, still stuck on the 3rd question and rubbing his head fiercely.

Edd stiffened a chuckled "Eddy, do you need any help?" He instantly regret asking, because a fierce glare was trying to bore through his being, but it softened just as quickly as it appeared, until a somewhat sad look followed.

"Ya I do," Eddy sighed, leaning his head on his fist. "how exactly am I supposed to learn this stuff Double-D?" he looked a little stressed, and frustrated, which could have been seen as sad if Edd didn't know him so well.

Double-D looked over his paper to check for where he might have messed up on. To find that he had actually gotten the question right, and should have moved on to the 4rth question a while back ago. He was about to tell Eddy this when he noticed that Ed had been really quiet the past 30 minutes they had been working. He turned around to see Ed was sleeping over his work.

Double-D gently pushed Ed. "Wake up Ed, you're not done yet," Ed Lifted his head, groggily trying to compute why he was being woken up, as the paper clung loosely to his face, half of it hanging over his mouth, stuck from the drool, and the other half hanging downward.

Double-D cautiously took the paper off of his face, trying his best not to touch the part that was damp with drool. What he found surprised him, the whole paper was filled out with semi-legible handwriting.

Eddy practically shoved Edd out of the way. "Even mono-brow can do this easily!" Edd maneuvered himself around Eddy to look at the answers Edd had given.

"Eddy calm down, he doesn't even have the right answers, he's stuck on the one you're on too, he's just put in random answers." Edd looked over one. "Ed, when exactly was cheese in the periodic table?" Ed received another weird glance by Eddy and a questioning look from Double-D.

Ed responded with a weird look of his own. "Isn't cheese on the periodic table?" He asked, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "It's right next to the sandwich on the table." He smiled like he had figured it all out, but the stares continued to look at him and he just stared back.

"You know what?" Eddy voiced, turning towards Double-D. "That kind of makes sense to me," he looked a little worried like that making sense would make him more dumb all of a sudden.

Edd didn't know what to do, teaching Ed would take the whole night and he couldn't help Eddy and teach Ed at the same time. A rush of fear spread through, and he became scared. What if this happened more in the future, he would fail his friends when all he wanted to do was help. His mind was trying to process all this when Eddy interrupted it.

"Sockhead just help Ed, I can do the rest on my own, I can do it, I just don't want to." He smiled, again looking confident in himself and him abilities.

Edd gulped. "Are you sure Eddy?" it wasn't that he didn't trust his friend, and Eddy could be quite intelligent when he wanted too, Edd had learned this after watching Eddy's mind at work when creating so many scams.

"Ya I'm sure," Eddy answered, looking as cocky as ever. "I could do this with my arms behind my back, my hands tied, and the homework on fire, that's how easy it'll be for me." he jacked his thumb at himself and smirked.

Everyone at the table laughed at that comment.

"Fine then," Edd chuckled, he turned around towards Ed but before he helped him, he looked over his shoulder "Eddy if you need any help though I'm right-"

"Ya ya, I know your right there to help me, but didn't you hear me this'll be easy."

Edd found himself smiling, just how cocky could Eddy get?

They spend the last 2 hours doing the homework, and by the time they were done it was 6:45. Ed almost burst out of the door, but luckily Double-D had pulled it open before he could rush outside and bring the door with him. They ran over to Kevin's house, he always had people over so there were always plenty of people to talk too. They could already hear some voices when they knocked on the door, and sure enough Kevin answered it with a large grin on his face.

"Hey guys," He exclaimed, moving over so they could all come in. He gave Eddy the handshake they had worked on for weeks, during the summer Eddy and Kevin had become very close friends and were still getting closer. He wasn't as close to Eddy as Double-D or Ed, but he was second best out of all the cul-de-sac kids, and if Eddy wasn't with them he was with Kevin.

Kevin and Eddy walked into the kitchen to go get some food while Ed sat on the couch next to his sister and Jimmy, Double-D sat on the chair nearest them. Sarah almost pushed Ed over to talk to him.

"Hi Double-D!" she yelled excitedly, like she hadn't seen him in years.

He looked at her and gave her a small smile. "Hello Sarah," from behind Sarah Edd could see Jimmy giving him some sort of look, but he didn't understand why.

"How was your first day of school Double-D?" She looked genuine in her question, but Jimmy's stare seemed to intensify, Edd suddenly felt uncomfortable.

"It was umm pleasant for me, how was it for you?" He asked, but Jimmy interrupted Sarah.

"She was fine thank you very much. We have almost all the same classes together and we ate lunch together so she was fine Mr. nosey."

Sarah gave Jimmy a confused look. She wasn't used to him being like that. Jimmy hadn't changed much even after the whole miss-hap with Eddy's brother, where everyone else had changed in some way Jimmy still liked acting the way he had before, often getting hurt and playing with dolls or having imaginary games with dragons and knights. Sarah though seemed to be growing out of that, or trying to, at least. To appear mature in front of someone but Edd didn't know who.

Jimmy had also gotten more hostile towards Edd now that Sarah was trying to mature. Edd didn't really understand why, but he figured it was because Sarah (for some reason that completely eluded him.) wanted to spend more time with Edd instead of Jimmy.

"Quiet Jimmy," Sarah barked, after she regained her composer. "But ya, I had a great day today and I have a lot of the cool teachers at the middle school, Mrs. Ferris says hi by the way." She seemed excited to tell him all these things, but he was happy to hear that Mrs. Ferris had passed on a greeting. Edd missed her, she was their English teacher and was very patient with their constant interruptions in class, it was because of her that they never got kicked out of the school.

"Well I would greatly appreciate if you told her I said Hello back," He must have been smiling because she lit up like a Christmas light.

"Of course I will! I'll be sure to tell her as soon as I see her."

Eddy came up and put his arm around Edd's shoulder. "Hey, you have to come in and help us out in the kitchen, your better at this 'cooking' thing than we are."

Edd gave a quick wave to Sarah and Jimmy, but only Sarah seemed to acknowledge it.

"Eddy. You guys are going to cook on a friendly gathering like this?"

"Heck no! I just needed you to get away from Sarah. She was all over you. I was surprised she didn't follow us."

"She was not 'all over me' Eddy." Edd countered, moving out of Johnny's way as he passed. "She has displayed a certain interest in me lately though."

They walked into the kitchen with Kevin and Rolph, who were getting some chips into a bowl. Like Ed, Rolph had also gotten taller over the summer. He was about the same height as Ed and still one of the strongest among them due to his constant work on the farm. The high school tried to send him into a class that better suited his language, but couldn't find anyone who spoke it. He looked a lot older now, he was starting to even show signs of growing a little beard and was often envied for that. Rolph had changed his clothes also. Rolf now wore a white long shirt with a yellow vest and a red stripe that went through the middle just like his old shirt.

"Howdy, head and sock Edd-boy." Rolph greeted, in his own way.

"Um, and a fine howdy to you Rolph." even after all these years Edd still wasn't accustom to Rolph's odd pleasantries.

"How ya doing stretch?" Eddy leaned on Kevin and took his hat, putting it on; he was the only one out of them who could do that without getting punched.

"Rolph is good this fine evening thank you," He smiled back before leaving them to pass out the chips.

Kevin followed. Without wearing his hat, he hadn't really noticed that Eddy still wore it.

Edd still stood in the kitchen and avoided Eddy's eyes, which were surely seeing why he didn't want to leave. Neither of them spoke for some time, the only other noise was the faint murmur of others talking on the outside of the room.

"Can I guess?"

"No. You can't…"

He understood that it wasn't a topic Edd wanted to talk about, when it came to love or any other kind of emotion Edd usually didn't want to talk about it because he had no way of logically explaining what he felt. There was no math problem, science equation, historical record that could explain what he was feeling so he didn't want to talk about it, but he had to know who he was talking too by now, Eddy always went on.

"At least try and pull some kind of move on her. It's not like they're going out officially."

Edd turned around to fully face Eddy, and the look he showed was pretty surprising. It was a look of confidence. "I remember what you told me Eddy, I won't let you down."

Eddy smiled again. He didn't look back when he walked out of the kitchen because he knew Edd was right behind him probably having a goofy smile on his face. Eddy moved towards Ed who was messing around with Sarah and Jimmy and he started playing in. Kevin got in and chased Eddy around the house trying to get his hat back from the mischievous boy. Edd knew that Eddy was distracting Kevin, it was like one of their little scams where Eddy would act as the distraction while Ed and Double-D did the dirty work. Said 'dirty work' though was trying to talk to the most beautiful girl in the world. He inched his way towards her but she seemed to read his mind and instantly filled the gap between them.

"Hi Double-D," She greeted again, somehow giving him Goosebumps.

Edd's previous bravado seemed to be diminishing rapidly. His response was a smile and a small wave with his hand.

"So I ended up getting into your class today." She smiled, pulling out her school schedule for him to read over. He did, and found that she was only in one of his classes, that brought him a little down he thought that maybe when she transferred she would be in even more of his classes.

He timidly gave it back to her, and tried to actually speak. "Well I'm glad that you're in at least one of my classes." He sounded a little more sad then he intended too.

"Aww only one," She cried, sounding a little disappointed as well. "Well that just sucks." Even though her face had a small frown on it she still looked very beautiful, and Edd's heart seem to try to reach out to her.

"Y-yes that's very disappointing," Edd replied, his brain working on overdrive to say something that wouldn't embarrass him. "But I mean maybe we could hang out to, well um make up for the lost time?" Heat rose to his face, he knew he was blushing but he doubted she would notice it.

Like so many times before.

"That would be great!" Nazz exclaimed, giving him a big smile. "How about on Saturday?" She looked like she was serious, Edd's heart seem to leap. There were some moments where he just wasn't used to the other kids being nice to him.

He had to think if he had any plans with Ed or Eddy on Saturday but he couldn't think of any. "T-that sounds p-perfect." He knew he was smiling, as was she, and he didn't know if that was happening, but he suspected that his heart was probably doing backflips by now.

"Ok then," She said, he could have sworn that she was blushing just a little.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Ed came to save the day in his own weird way.

"Hiya guys!"

"Hi Ed," Nazz's blush disappeared.

"What'cha doing over here all alone?" That line made Double-D cringe, leave it to Ed to save a moment from being awkward just to make it even more awkward.

"W-we were um well…you see…."

"We were talking about babysitting!" Nazz interrupted, rather loudly as her face seemed to redden a little more.

"Y-yes babysitting…" Edd, prayed he wouldn't see into it.

"Oh….why would you ever want to sit on a baby like that?" He was oblivious to the lie, which Edd kind of thought would happen.

Ed stood there, he really wanted his question to be answered, and Double-D had to think quickly on his feet if he wanted to get out of this one.

Which he was terrible at. They just stood there looking at each other before Nazz had enough sense to excuse herself and go talk with Sarah and Jimmy. Ed didn't seem to sense any awkwardness with him being there, so he walked with Double-D outside to get some air. It was becoming darker outside, the clouds seemed to drift off, and there was just a dark shade of blue that filled the sky now. Double-D breathed in the cool air, and it refreshed him slightly. The perplexing feel of his heart beating rapidly, his fingers becoming sweaty, and his mouth going dry, were all too old to him by now when he saw Nazz, but it was like every time he got close to her, it was as new to him as when he first tried to ride a bike. It scared him and he knew he'd get hurt if he did anything wrong.

Ed stood next to him without staring. He just looked out into nothingness just like Double-D. He wondered if Ed was in deep thought just like him, but the thought was quickly diminished when Ed quickly looked back at him. A questioning look in his eyes, Double-D smiled at him, but he still looked at him questioningly. Ed never knew how to truly comfort Double-D but in his own way's he always found a way to make him smile, and sometimes, that's all he really needed.

Double-D walked over and pat Ed's back. He smiled and so did Double-D, they walked back to Kevin's house. Eddy opened the door and gestured for them to turn around. It looked as if the party was coming to an end by his tired eyes and somewhat blank expression.

Eddy yawned once more before he got a word in. "Well that was fun. I got free snacks and was able to nab me a couple of batteries for your remote Edd."

Double-D didn't condone Eddy's stealing, but he had been running out of batteries lately and how much would Kevin really miss 2 batteries? So he didn't say anything when Eddy shared that bit of information.

They walked into Double-D's house, which was the usual hangout spot and the place where they slept if they didn't want to go to their own houses. When they set up their temporary beds in Edd's room they didn't even get to say goodnight, the second their heads hit the pillows they were out like lights.

Edd woke up with a sour taste in his mouth, and felt like he slept on a rock. By the groans of his friends he guessed they were in the same shape as him.

"Eddy I hurt…"

"We all hurt Ed," Eddy groaned, cracking his neck and hissing in pain. "Just shut up and don't even look at me like this, I'm a mess and a half right now."

The only noises that followed were the occasional grunts of pain, or cracks of bones as the boys got through their morning routines. When each was all ready and packed up, they slowly walked outside in the crisp cold air and went to their bus stop to wait for the other kids. They were finally able to talk more when they stretched out some.

"How is it that all 3 of us feel like we went through a steam roller?" Eddy complained, stretching out the last kink in his arm.

"It's an omen I'm sure…"

Before they could ask how the other kids came walking in and they all started chatting up again just like the previous day, except for one difference. Nazz walked up to Edd, she had a shy smile on her face that looked somewhat sad. Edd gave her a puzzled look, he went through the conversation they had yesterday in his mind, trying to find if he had said something that would bring her back to him the following day.

She gave one quick glance to something and then spoke. "I'm sorry Double-D, but Kevin really wants to go to the movies with me on Saturday, so maybe we could hang out some other time?" She smiled again.

Edd's heart seem to drop somewhere in his stomach, and he couldn't find a way to put it back where it was supposed to be. "No that's fine," He said, but his words sounded hollow.

"Great, I promise well find another time to hang out." She gave a quick wave and then walked over to Kevin.

Edd tried to hold back the sadness that rushed at him. Constantly trying to make him cry and he was barely able to stop it. He had thought that he made a good advance towards Nazz when in reality it must have just sounded desperate to her and she decided that she had better things to do. How could he have been so dumb? He had to realize by now that the one idea that he never wanted to think about, the one fact that always showed up no matter how much he didn't want it to was that she had completely left Edd to go to Kevin.

Like so many times before.

**A/N: Poor Double-D :( his poor heart can only take so much abuse by love. Fight Double-D fight DX **


	4. First weekend

**So this took me forever to write because I didn't have a clue how to introduce the new guys and how I could bring them into the story. It took me forever to remember the Lemon Brook Lumpers and when I did I practically jumped from wall to wall.**

**Disclaimer: My life would be complete if I owned Ed Edd n Eddy, but I don't so it's not. But I'm tacking this plot….it's mine. **

**First weekend **

Eddy woke up without feeling tired. It was new for him because he was so used to getting up and feeling like he could sleep on the floor and it would be alright. He cautiously got up from his bed, as he slowly moved over to the calendar to see that it was indeed Saturday.

He punched the air and immediately jumped back into bed. He slept until there were no more cold spots in it, and he felt like he might just stink his room up. Eddy leaped back out of bed and stretched his arms, getting ready for the awesome adventure that he'd be living up on his first weekend! He quickly got everything ready and pretty much jumped out the window to get to Edd's house. He literally pounded on the door with a shovel before his hat wearing friend answered the door.

Edd looked at his door, then at Eddy.

"Eddy, can you tell me why you decided to pound on my door with a rusty shovel?" Edd droned, he didn't look tired, but the look he was sending Eddy had both a disinterest and loathing quality to it at the same time.

He looked past Edd's shoulder, at what he was doing in his house. Edd tried to close the door but he held it open.

"Where you reading during your first weekend!" Eddy practically blew the roof as he walked in. "We have to live this up, not stay in and read. That's why the school made weekends so we could get away from them!"

"Personally I think the weekends are for relaxing, and the way I relax is by reading and learning new concepts as I read."

Eddy looked at him like he was growing a third arm, then he remembered who he was talking too. "Well we have to get Ed so your reading time is up. I need both of you for today."

Edd looked at him, Eddy knew what that look meant. After knowing him for all these years he could read Edd like a book without even trying. He was still sad; Nazz must have hurt him pretty bad because after she canceled the little date of theirs Edd had said that he was too busy for any other time and he pretty much secluded himself from the others except for Eddy and Ed.

Eddy understood, but not well enough to actually relate to it. So he held out his hand and leaned on the door, signaling that Edd would walk out first. He didn't oblige, he simply left with Eddy. He covered his eyes. He wasn't quite used to the sun, while Eddy thought of it as a reason to go somewhere fun, like the park. They entered Ed's house the usual way, the window at the bottom of his house. Ed was snoring on his moldy bed.

Eddy snickered while he walked up to him. "Aw he's so peaceful when he sleeps." He whispered, just loud enough for Double-D to hear. "Wake up Ed!" the lovable oaf fell out of the bed and struggled to try to get off the floor, but he only managed getting himself more wrapped up in the covers that fell with him.

"O…Hi Eddy!" Ed got up and tried to hug him, but he was too quick and slipped out of his grasp.

Eddy walked over to the chair in Ed's room and sat down on it. "Ok Ed get dressed, were going out today."

"Where to?"

"Junkyard first, then the woods with the rest of the pidgins…I mean kids. Still freaks me out to say that."

That got a little snicker out of the other 2 boys, if anything else it made the trip seem lighter for Edd. The three Ed's had made the walk to the junkyard at least a billion times by now, and they could find it with their eyes closed, they had actually tried it before. Yet they walked instead of ran to it as they used to when there was a scam on Eddy's brain.

"So what kind of contraption are you planning for us to build Eddy?"

He wasn't surprised by the question, if anything he was surprised that Edd hadn't asked it sooner. "It will be the greatest thing we have ever built in our whole lives."

"I've heard that about a billion times by now…" Edd wasn't all that interested in whatever it was that Eddy wanted to build, he felt bad for saying it but something in him didn't censor him like it usually did.

"What's a billion?" Ed asked, he was trying his best to keep up with the conversation but he was hopelessly confused.

Double-D knew he would have to be the one to answer the question, and in turn make it so that Ed understood what he meant, it was a good thing that he had done this many a times then. "It's 1 followed by 9 zeros." He would usually go into his long explanation, but he just didn't feel up to it.

"huh?" Both the boys looked at Edd; there was a definite confusion between them.

Edd gave them a quick glare. "We are going to resume our tutoring after we go to the park."

"Aw man do we have to Double-D?" Even though Ed was giving him his puppy dog eyes Double-D nodded his head and kept walking towards the junkyard.

The Ed's walked through the gate of the smelly place, Eddy ran from one pile to the next, looking for something that neither Ed nor Double-D had any clue about.

"You could tell us what you want," Edd began, as he twisted his hat into the right place. "We could assist you in looking for it, and quickly. So that we could get to the woods on time." He checked his watch, they still had plenty of time, but it all depended on what Eddy wanted them to build. Sometimes it could take all day just to finish a grand scheme that Eddy set up.

But Eddy was ignoring him, he could tell it was intentional too because Eddy had a large smirk on his face that only Eddy could really have when he was messing with someone. And o boy was he messing with Edd, his curiosity was at its peak now, but his frustration was also building up. Eddy was lucky that he was so patient; any other person would have really let him have it.

Then again, Edd wasn't the fighting type.

As he thought about how he would get Eddy back. Something hit the top of his head and he raised his hand in surprise as the object fell to the floor. It was a Frisbee. Several more were thrown, and Ed somehow caught 2 with his mouth, this did not go unnoticed by Double-D who gave him a look of disgust.

"Ed, those were in the junkyard, have some decency man!"

There was a quick moment where he seemed to register what the smartest of the Ed's said, but then he continued to gnaw on the Frisbees. Double-D sighed, and then let out a small laugh; yes these were his best friends all right.

"Ok. Now we have everything we need, we'll be throwing these bad boys all over the place for a game of Frisbee golf or something." Eddy explained, he didn't sound too excited about the Frisbee golf, but he was ok with it as long as he could hit some more people.

After taking 3 of the Frisbees, they went off towards the woods where they would meet everyone. When they had seen them, everyone exchanged greetings save for Edd and Nazz who offered each other a small wave. There was something inside Edd that he didn't really recognize when he waved at her though; it was defiantly between anger and sadness. There were many emotions that Edd just didn't want to explain.

There was a small clearing that separated Peach creek high school from the Lemon brook lumpers academy. Both were competing high schools that were both pretty well known for their sports, the clearing could easily be used as a football field, and there were a lot of times when one could see people playing a good game of the brutal sport. It also had a pretty nice looking basketball court where the boys would often go to when there was simply nothing else to do. Lastly it had two soccer goals on both sides of the field, Eddy had gotten quite interested in soccer recently and one could find him there during the summer.

Eddy threw a Frisbee over to Ed, who caught it gleefully with his hands this time. The other kids joined in and it became a little game between the Peach creek kids.

That is until the Lemon Brook lumpers got there. They walked in a pack; Edd remembered the time he had played football against them. Back then they had seemed so big and strong that it frightened him to no ends, but now that he had gotten taller, they didn't look so scary.

The group of other students outnumbered the cul-de-sacs kids. There were 12 of them and only 9 of the cul-de-sac kids. Some of the people in the Lumper's group actually went to peach creek high, and Edd was curious to why they were hanging out with the Lemon brook Lumper's academy students. There was a minute in which both groups seem to eye each other up, Edd was able to see that there were about 6 people in that group that belonged on their side, two of which were girls that didn't look interested in the least, yet they gave the same stare down as the rest of the kids who backed them up.

"Why are you here?" A boy with gelled hair and black glasses asked, his tone not sounding the least bit respectful.

"Cause it's our hang out place, the real question is why are you here?" Eddy shot back; his big mouth already seeming to spark something in the other group; it wasn't enough to scare them away though. If anything it made them more mad.

Gel boy glared at Eddy through his glasses. "You got it wrong idiot. This is our spot, and you should beat it." He pointed to the guys behind him. "I don't know if you can count all that well but we outnumber you guys easily." He smiled like he had already won, but he didn't know who he was messing with. The only ones that could fight well were Kevin, Eddy, and Rolf, but Ed, Sarah, and even Nazz could be pretty handy if a fight were to pop off.

Eddy wasn't going to take that insult without throwing one of his own. "I can count, there's about 12 girls in front of me, and for some reason ones to ugly to show their eyes." Even the girls on Gel boy's side laughed at that one. He gave them a cold stare but they didn't seem to care all that much.

He stepped forward, so did some of the guys behind him, but before anymore harsh words were thrown one of the girls interjected.

"Don't get your undies in a knot Kyle," She warned, standing in front of him and his goons. "Instead of having a brawl here why not settle it like actual men." she pointed towards the hoops.

"A sports-off then?" The boy named Kyle yelled towards Kevin. When he gave him a confused look, Kyle sighed.

"You take four people from your group that can play soccer, basketball, and football." He explained, his glare seemed to intensify on Eddy again. "And then your 4 go against mine and whoever win's two out of three gets the field."

It seemed fair enough, at least from Edd's point of view. Everyone looked at him for an answer, he was surprised and embarrassed at first but when he nodded, Kevin turned around to talk.

"Fine by us then, which sport are we doing first?"

Kyle looked around and seemed to be thinking. "Football first,"

Kevin looked at the field. "Football it is then."

Everyone already knew who was going to play. Kevin, Eddy, Ed, and Rolf walked up to the other 4. One was Kyle, another was a pretty tall, lanky boy with blond hair, the next was a short but muscular kid, and lastly was a tan boy with short curly hair. He gave Eddy a smile and Eddy gave him a quick smirk.

"Ok first to 21 wins then." Kyle stated, he had already acquired a ball and was walking to the middle of the field, everyone followed.

Kevin huddled up before starting. "Ok guys, we need to win this field back, and that means going through these guys to get it." He gave everyone a smile. "Ed you'll be out quarterback since you can throw longer than anyone I've ever seen, the rest of us will run around and try to get open." He started to look serious; it was like the inner jock in him was arising.

Kevin took the ball; he yelled out random words and threw it back at Ed, who caught it. Everyone sprinted in different directions then, they were all so fast that it almost made Ed dizzy, but he couldn't let the others down and he swallowed his dizziness and threw the ball towards Eddy. It rose high above everyone else, even Eddy, if it were anyone else the ball would have been too fast to get, but everyone knew that Eddy was the fastest guy that had ever ran from beatings. He caught the ball as he sprinted past everyone else and got the first touchdown for his team.

Of course he whooped and hollered; even did a little victory dance. He flexed his muscles for everyone to see. "Check these out guys; take a load off your eyes." Everyone laughed, even some of the other kids did.

Kyle didn't seem pleased by this at all, he took off his glasses to reveal dull, brown eyes. "Well just count every touchdown as seven points seeing as we don't have goal posts."

They hiked the ball and instantly the Lumpers came running. Kevin was knocked down by one of the boys while Eddy chased curly haired kid around the field. The blonde threw the ball to Kyle, who ran as fast as he could, but he was quickly snatched up by Ed, who didn't tackle him at all, but seemed to be hugging him.

"I got him Eddy!"

"Good job lumpy!"

Kyle tried to wiggle out but to no avail. "Ok! Ok! It's a tackle, just let go!" He sounded absolutely furious which is why he was let go, he didn't even regard Ed as his team set back up.

Another hike, Kevin lunged at the blond but he dodged him just in time to throw the ball to the muscular guy that Rolph was guarding, the pass was perfect and Rolf missed it by mere millimeters as it soared above him and into the powerful arms of the short guy, he ran it all the way and it was a tie game.

Ed caught the ball as Kevin threw it back at him. He wanted to throw it to Eddy, but he was guarded to well. So he took a chance and threw it to Rolf, he caught it, but was tackled seconds later.

"NANA GET THE BANDAGES!" he screamed as he hit the ground, along with the other guy, they tumbled down into a thorn bush. He had scratched his arm up, but he grit through the pain, Rolf was always the strong one.

Eddy drew an inward breath when he saw Rolf's bleeding arm, but the sucky thing about that was he had dropped the ball and the opponents had gotten another point from it.

But for some reason that didn't bother Eddy as much as he thought it would. Rolfs wound seemed worse. Sometimes, he still wasn't used to caring for people. It was so much different than when he was with Ed and Double-D; he only had to care for them, not any of the other kids. Yet he was happy that he cared, he truly was.

The groups huddled again to get ready for yet another set up. Kevin gave the instructions and was quite clear about them. Hike the ball, pass to Kevin, and let Kevin do the rest from there. It made sense to the rest of them, because when it came to sports, it was all Kevin.

The plan worked perfectly and Kevin got his touchdown. The bad news was that the other team got the third one. They had lost the first game, which meant they needed to win the other two or they would lose the field to the idiots they found themselves playing with.

As the boys took a break to cool off and talk sports. Edd sat on the sidelines talking with the rest of the kids.

"Oh no those brutes won the first game, I don't want to lose the field Sarah." Jimmy whined, he was sitting close to Sarah, between her and Edd.

"Ya and Rolfs hurt too; do you think he'll still be able to play Double-D?" She peered past Jimmy to get a look at Edd.

Edd tried to look hopeful. "Rolf is a very physically strong individual. I doubt a few scratches will deter him from winning the next 2 games." He gulped; he was scared that if Rolf didn't continue that he would have to be the one to go in. Because he already knew that none of the boys would take in Jonny to help them, and he wasn't trying to be discriminative either, but it looked like none of the girls cared to play what-so-ever, seeing as how they were off in the distance chatting away. He wondered what they were talking about.

Nazz caught him staring and gave him a wave over. He mentally slapped himself for staring to long, and begrudgingly walked over.

The three girls seemed to become acquainted quickly. Edd was still curious to why Nazz had called him over.

One of the girls looked over at him and smiled. "Hi there, my names Kenzie."

He reached out and politely shook her hand. She was very pretty if Edd could give his honest opinion. She had dark brown hair that went to just above her shoulders; she had a nice glow to her skin that made it seem as if she had been in the sun for a while. Yet what stood out the most where her incredibly blue eyes, they contrasted with her hair and thus made them the focus of Edd's attention. She smirked, giving him more time to say his name, he was taking his time.

"Oh yes, my name is Edd." He was only a little flustered. Yes he was taken aback by her beauty, but in his opinion, she didn't hold a candle to….well you know.

Kenzie pushed her other friend in front of her. "Talk will you," She instructed, rather than asked." You're going to weird this guy out if you're just in the background being all shy."

The girl looked up at Edd, Kenzie had said she was shy, but by the look of confidence she was giving him he didn't see it. "Hi, my name is Emma." There weren't many words to describe Emma, She had rich brown hair that was tied in a ponytail, she had small freckles on her nose that could only really be seen from close distance, like Kenzie though she had defining hazel eyes that complemented her beauty perfectly.

Edd had learned from past mistakes and answered quite quickly to her greeting. "Well hello." He smiled at her.

They would have continued their conversation, but Eddy burst in. "Come on Edd! I need you cheering me on when I kick these guys' butts in basketball." He looked towards Nazz. "I need you too, since you're actually a cheerleader."

Kenzie stared at Eddy. "Well hi to you too." Her tone of voice didn't sound very friendly. Apparently she didn't like to be ignored.

Eddy (thinking that she was on the other team) gave her one of his trademark annoyed glances. "Hey there…" His face didn't seem to change and neither did hers, which now mimicked Eddy's.

Kevin called him over and like that he was gone.

"What's his problem?" Kenzie asked, glaring at Eddy as he ran back.

"I apologize, he just thinks that you're on the other side, and he is pretty competitive when it comes to sports, he sees you as an enemy at the moment."

Kenzie seemed to understand and just shrugged, she walked away with Emma to the other side of the basketball court.

The game was about to begin, if it was like any of the other times they played Double-D knew that Eddy would be the point guard, Ed the center, Rolph the power forward, and lastly Kevin as the shooting guard. This was usually how they played in the summer, and each was very good in their position.

"First to ten wins." Kyle wasn't waiting for a response this time; he rallied up his team and began.

The other team started with the ball, and Edd was able to identify each person from the other team by how they yelled their names out. The blond haired boys name was Nike, The short guy was Cody, and the curly haired guy's name was Allen. Cody seemed to be their point guard, he yelled out random orders for them to set up a play. He passed it to Kyle with Kevin right in his face. There was no way to shoot so after some time he passed it off to Allen who took the shot and to the enjoyment of Double-D, missed as Ed caught the rebound and passed it to Eddy.

His usual smirk was stuck on his face as he sized up Cody. He made a pump fake, then quickly dribbled passed the confused Cody and laid it up for the first point.

Instantly he jumped up and with another holler. "Sometimes even I amaze myself!" His cockiness was entertaining to some, while the other boys seemed to find it intolerable.

Kevin gave Eddy a ha-five then the game went on. Cody kept the ball this time, he tried again and again to get past Eddy but the boy just couldn't he was too quick on his feet. He past it over Eddy to Kyle the boy past it to Nike and sprinted past Kevin, he got the ball back and shot it in.

"Tie game." Kyle smirked as he past Eddy he had to grit his teeth to not say anything back to it.

Eddy started with the ball this time he looked around as he dribbled and found Kevin at the three spot; he took the shot and made it easily. Even Kyle seemed impressed because he let out a long whistle and went again with the ball. They kept this up for another 5 minutes before the game was 8-7 with the cul-de-sac winning and the lumpers ball. Cody gave it to Kyle for the 3 then expertly ran behind him for the pass back, which Kyle did. Eddy and Kevin momentarily switched men to compensate for the move Cody was dumb enough to try to cross over Kevin but he was the master as basketball and wouldn't allow him to even get a step in before he reached for the ball.

They figured out that they weren't going to get a three on this play and got it to Nike who jumped over Ed for the 2 points. Eddy wiped the sweat from his head why was he so hot, yet not tired at all? He wiped the sweat on his pant legs and started dribbling again. He looked around and took his time, they needed this win to keep the field and most of the pressure was on him to actually get the ball to someone without screwing it up. He gave a good bounce pass to Rolf but the lengthy boy was too busy scratching his arm to really do anything special and he ended up passing it back to him. He tried for another pump fake but Cody was well aware of what he could do now and stood his ground, just great the guy could actually learn.

Ed looked open but Nike was pretty decent at basketball and every time he would get the ball he would get it taken away. He was thinking too much, where was his keen instinct and gut reaction with his awesome reflexes when he actually needed them? It was times like these where he thought to dang much and would mess everything up. Cody swatted for the ball again and Eddy just moved it out of the way. He took a deep breath and began to dribble; he was pretty tired of panicking. Kevin caught the ball from Eddy's pass but there was just nothing he could do he was so caught up in thinking he almost missed the flash of black hair that past him he gave the ball to Eddy and followed behind him Eddy jumped into Nike, and as he did he laid the ball off to Ed at the free throw line he bounced it to Kevin and like every other time Kevin made it for the win.

"To easy," Kevin huffed; Nazz ran up and hugged him closely.

Eddy lay on the ground while Nike lifted himself up (without helping him, that punk). His shoulder was a little sore and he knew it would hurt after he was done playing but there was no way that he would lose to these guys. Ed popped in his vision and helped him up while Double-D checked his shoulder.

"Are you ok Eddy?"

Eddy shrugged him off. "I'm fine Sockhead, just keep watching me win this and it will heal." He gently slapped him on the back.

Eddy was able to suck up the pain but Rolf looked absolutely horrible, his arm seemed to puff up and he couldn't stop itching it no matter how much it stung him. Kevin told him to go off and get some of his 'nanas worms marrow ointment' Edd had to ask how you could get marrow from worms but it was too late as usual.

So Kevin did what he had too. He picked Edd for the team.

"Ok guys this is the last game, we have to get 2 goals to win. This is for all the marbles," Kevin had huddled everyone together again for the soccer match.

"Well and the field," Edd stated without thinking twice about it.

After Eddy picked each person's position, Ed got to be goalkeeper, Kevin a defender with Double-D and Eddy the forward.

Both teams got out of the huddle and walked up to each other, Edd was practically shaking out of his shoes. He had to go against Cody and the guy looked like he could run over Edd without even trying. He was doing his best to calm down but as soon as the kick off began and Kevin passed him the ball he freaked out. He saw them running towards him and instantly he regret even thinking he could come on the field and win this game. Kevin was able to get there quick enough to take the ball from his own shaking teammate.

Kevin was not the best soccer player, but he got the gist of it, and he was quickly able to adjust to not being able to use his hands. Like the game before the ball got to the one most experienced which was Eddy. Kevin gave it to him and he was able to shoot a good shot in the bottom corner, but Nike was quick and kicked it away. There was a moment he thought he saw Nike give a cocky smile. Only he was allowed to do that. The ball was kicked back and forth for some time; even Edd was starting to get the hang of it a little bit. But even with that they were getting beat it was 1-0 with a goal scored from Cody. Edd was starting to panic, what if he lost it for his team? Would they go back to hating him for losing such a precious place to them? But there was just no way to beat someone who clearly had the upper hand in physical activities. Edd was just about to turn and run when a firm hand clamped onto his shoulder, it was of course Eddy.

"Calm down sockhead, I've got enough juice in me to carry both of us and win this game." He said just low enough for him to hear. He sounded like his usual cocky self, but he looked beat up and tired and the shoulder injury from before looked like it was bothering him.

Edd looked at him worriedly but Eddy just smiled at him. Sometimes, even when Eddy was acting tough he still pushed himself to hard but there was nothing he could say that would make Eddy stop so he nodded and Eddy gave him a thumbs up before they started again.

Kevin was able to beat Kyle in the sprint and pass it off to Eddy who had Allen tight on his heels. He sprinted as fast he could but Allen was still able to push him off towards the side where he wouldn't be able to get a shot off. With what little energy he had left Eddy slammed himself into him with his bad shoulder and got the shot off with his right foot. He let out a scream of pain but the ball rolled into the corner and went in for the tie.

Eddy clutched his shoulder while he walked up to get ready for the last kickoff. Edd wanted to scream at him to get off the field, to stop hurting himself for such a stupid reason, but he knew why Eddy was doing this. He wanted to feel useful for once, like he was actually helping the whole cul-de-sac instead of trying to scam it out of their money.

He just wanted to feel like he had done something for all of them.

Eddy's pain spurred something inside of Double-D that he hadn't even known was there. A drive that kept his legs from shacking and his heart beat to slow down some. He looked back at Ed who waved at him, if Eddy was going to push himself to that extent then so were the other Ed's. The kickoff began and when the ball got back to Double-D he immediately set his mind into overload. He knew that Cody would be on him in any second, and the fact that he couldn't kick that far meant that he would have to somehow slow him down in order for someone else to get the ball, and for a minute he thought he had an idea coming, but It was too late Cody was coming towards him at a ferocious speed so Edd kicked the ball in the direction Eddy was in and took the hit from the short boy.

The ball didn't go that far at all, but as Cody rolled along with Edd and wasn't able to get up. Eddy was able to pick up the slack and get the ball back; letting his instincts do the work again he gave a quick pass to Kevin who wasn't that far away. Even before Kevin received the pass, Eddy had already spun past Allen who had been behind him when he got the ball and sprinted with all his mite forward.

"You better kick it far Kevin!" He shouted, he didn't even look back, but to his extreme enjoyment the ball rolled past him. Allen wasn't able to keep up this time there was just a goalie stopping him from getting to what he wanted. Nike sprinted after the ball; it was right in the middle of him and Eddy. He slid for the ball just as Eddy tapped it above him and into the goal for the win. It was the last time Eddy would hit the ground because neither him, nor Edd could really get up off of it. Eddy hurt too much, and Edd ached all over from that much physical activity.

Eddy waited for Kevin to come help him up. Maybe even tell him he did well, but it was Ed who had raised him to his feet in the end. Eddy put his good arm around his neck and watched in somewhat horror as Kevin and Kyle talked and laughed about something. Eddy didn't understand. The guy had been a complete jerk and yet Kevin seemed to be talking to the guy like none of that had even happened. The two jocks along with the rest of Kyle's crew started to walk the opposite way from the cul-de-sac.

Eddy had thought he had won it for everyone, that he could be a hero and get the field back for his friends. Yet as they walked away and fear crept up through his blood and spread around his body, he knew that in the long run of things he had lost something that the field would never stand in comparison too. He was losing a friend.

He had lost it for them.

**Yes! Reached that 5,000 word mark! Yes it took me a long time I cut my thumb so I had to wait for it to heal before I could type again XD I'm accident prone sorry it took me so long. O! and I never understood why the lumpers where never introduced back into the Ed's episodes, it would have made for a good plot twist and adding some new characters in. **

**See there DMan51 I got you, I made sure to make it 5,000 just for ya. **

**Please review! It'll make me go super-fast. **


	5. Getting to know you,Then football

**Ok so I was on vacation I'm sorry it took me so long DX I know it's another excuse, but I'm busy a lot and it's not my fault ;3; ok maybe sometimes it is, but I'll try to go faster, just for you guys. **

**Chapter 5: getting to know each other…then football.**

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><p>Eddy walked with his arm around Ed's neck, that's how much everything hurt for him. Ed was literally carrying Double-D on his shoulder and holding Eddy up with his arm, his strength was inhuman sometimes, but it was something that Eddy would use more often when he got hurt. He limped along with the dreary Double-D and the hulk of an Ed, they started to walk off towards the cul-del-sac with their heads hung low, especially Eddy, he had failed. The feeling he had before just kept with him, it neither went away or held up, it felt just as bad as when he had watched Kevin walk away. They were halfway across the field when someone called out to them.<p>

"Hey if you guys need some help I live pretty close, and I can at least bandage you up." Eddy turned his head and saw who it was; it was the black haired girl that had walked with Kyle. So that meant she was his enemy, simple as that.

Edd had decided to put his 2 cents in. "I'll take that offer, Eddy please don't make us walk all the way to my house."

Eddy glared at the smartest of the Ed's. "You're not even walking!" Edd gave a groan for a response and he had to give in after that.

"Fine, ya we'll go for some bandages." He turned his head back at the girl, and for some reason she gave him a superior looking smile, Eddy almost limped away after that.

Ed turned around with a smile on his face (as usual) and followed the girl. She wasn't lying when she said that she lived close; her house was right out of the forest, and over in a suburban kind of area. Her house was nice; it was white and two story's with a very nice looking drive way and even a 'keep of the grass' sign, something that tempted Eddy to no end.

There was something that made him feel weird about going into a girl's house, sure he had gone into Nazz's house plenty of times, but he'd been nervous in there before as well. At least then there had been more people than now.

"Sorry to be an inconvenience to you, Kenzie." Edd said, he was still half heard with his head hanging down. So that was the girl's name.

Kenzie motioned for them to sit down on her couch; Ed practically dropped Double-D on the couch and he grunted dramatically. Eddy huffed when he sat down and threw a pillow at Edd.

"Stop complaining sock head, you didn't even do much."

Edd peaked over his hat. "The fact that I did anything at all is amazing enough."

Ed gasped and pointed to Eddy's shoulder. "You're bleeding!"

Eddy checked his shirt shoulder and saw that it was flecked with red spots. "Dang it, he's right no wonder it hurt so much."

"So the magnificent Eddy can bleed." Edd humored, they did get a laugh out of that. This is when Kenzie decided to show up.

"Which one of you three is bleeding on my couch?" She joked, that is until they pointed at Eddy and her smile dropped. "Oh, then he can bleed for a bit longer."

Eddy glared at her when she left, why was she so mad at him? He hadn't even talked to her. He sat there bleeding to death for about 3 minutes before she decided to help him out.

"Come on." She commanded, her voice had no feeling in it. Eddy swore he saw her give him a fierce look that almost made him want to run.

He followed her up to the bathroom, she instructed him to sit down on the toilet and he did, that's when she started to bandage up his arm. She didn't say anything while she worked, he felt like a patient and for some reason it ticked him off, he still wanted to find out why she was mad.

"So what's up with the whole 'let Eddy die' treatment, I don't even know you." He was blunt with it, he didn't really care how she took it, he just wanted to know.

Actually to his surprise she took it with the utmost attitude. "Because you acted like a jerk back there in the field, I don't like people who act like that."

He shrugged, he wasn't one for saying sorry, but Edd's voice was in his head telling him to say it. "Well…um my bad." That was the best she was getting, Edd's voice still wasn't going to make him say it.

She turned around and looked at him, vibrant blue eyes stared down at dark brown ones, and it was then that Eddy realized that she didn't look that bad at all. "It's ok." She said back, it was just as good as the apology he had given her so he took it.

"What's your name anyways? I haven't gotten it yet." He grunted when she tightened the bandages, what did he do this time?

"It's Kenzie, and yours?" She already knew his name, but she felt like she had to say it anyways.

Eddy thought of a way to get some attention and went with the idea. "It's Teddy."

That actually surprised her enough for her to turn around. "Wait really, I thought I heard Eddy, so you mean like Teddy like the bear or something?"

That last line made him laugh. "Ya like the bear, it was my great granddads name and it's been passed down to me, weird isn't it?"

"Ya it is, sorry to hear, I liked Eddy better for you." The last part of the sentence really caught his attention, and he had no idea why.

That's when the killjoy oaf decided to walk in though. "How's Eddy doing? We don't need to cut the arm off right!"

Kenzie's face was unreadable at first, and then she smirked. "Nope he'll keep the arm for now, but the next time he won't be so lucky." She slapped his shoulder for effect and he yelped in pain.

He clutched his shoulder after that without trying to look weak. Kenzie gave him a sweet smile that sent chills down his spine. He quickly got out of the bathroom with Ed after that. They were all healed up and ready to go after a while, but they decided to stay for a while due to the fact that Edd didn't want to walk. Kenzie sat by Eddy on his right side, so the one that wasn't injured.

He turned towards her and gave her a good smile. "Um do you have any food?" Ed's stomach grumbles and he rubbed it.

She wouldn't have gotten Eddy food but Ed seemed pretty nice. She got up and got them a snack which included Ritz, even though she ate some of it when it got to them.

They had a pretty long time to talk, and get to know each other. An experience that Eddy didn't find unpleasant in the least.

"Who's this Kyle kid who showed up acting all cool?" Eddy stole one of Double-D's snacks and received a glare from him.

Kenzie shrugged before she gave a definite answer. "He was the popular kid in all of the schools he went to, elementary through high school I guess. I don't know, I didn't really talk to him or his gang."

"So why were you with them when we were at the field?" Edd finally spoke up after lying on the couch for a while.

She gave them a bored look. "Eh, my friend Emma's brother was there so I went with them."

Edd went through his head. No one there really looked like Emma, but out of all of them he could take a guess. "Nike isn't it?" even though the hair color was different they had certain similarities that Edd was able to pick out, which made him feel like a detective in some way.

"Ya he's a jerk, but he's a pretty good brother to Emma that's the only reason why I talk to him." She shrugged, reaching over and taking the last of Eddy's Ritz, but a hand came down on hers immediately. They stared each other down without saying anything for a while, until Eddy realized that his hand was touching her's. Nope he didn't care, snack beat embarrassment any day, it finally broke in half and they ate it right, afterwards they laughed.

Someone knocked on the door and Eddy stood up quickly. "Should we go?" He was still used to being at Nazz's house. Her parents hated it when there were people over.

Kenzie looked at him skeptically; this wasn't the way to not look creepy. "Um…no it's all good. My parents aren't getting home until later." She walked over and opened the door; Emma practically skipped in the house and then stopped short when she saw the 3 Ed's.

"O….hi there." She sounded embarrassed, it kind or reminded Eddy of Double-D when he first met people.

"Hey, so you're Emma, I heard you're shy." Eddy leaned on the couch, already getting comfortable in the house.

Edd sighed. Eddy was always getting straight to the point, even when he wasn't supposed to.

Emma puffed up her cheeks, and got that confident look again. "No I'm not shy at all, I'm really not." She half whispered the last part.

Ed came from behind her and gave her a big squeeze, one that made her scream out in surprise. "Were not either, so we can all be friends right?"

Double-D rushed over and quickly tugged on the lovable oafs arms. "E-Ed give her some space please." He tugged again and again but he wouldn't let go.

"But she's our friend now, she gets Ed hugs."

"You have to ask before you give people your special brand of hugs, now release her right this instant young man."

Ed did as he was told and released the girl, at first Emma looked scared and took a deep breath as she turned around; looking at the biggest of the Ed's for a moment and then reached her hand out. "How about an Ed handshake instead for right now."

He smiled and took her hand, both seemed like they had known each other for years already.

Double-D smiled at that, there were a lot of people that were afraid of Ed because of the way he was. He was a giant of a boy and had unbound amounts of strength, people would see that and instantly run away from him, but if anyone looked past that and saw how he was on the inside, they would see that he was just like everyone else, he was his own kind of normal.

Eddy yawned loudly for affect. "It's getting kind of late. I don't think Kenzie wants us here all night, so I think we should go before we get lost in the woods." Ed and Double-D turned towards him and nodded.

They said their thanks for both letting them stay and healing them up. Ed and Double-D walked out first, but Eddy stopped short of the door and turned around. "I expect an apology note for me tomorrow, seeing as you were so mean to your house guest." He gave her a smirk and she laughed.

"I'll be sure to do that, you want me to address it to Teddy right?"

"Yup, like the bear." He gave a small wave before he shut the door and walked off.

Kenzie smiled and rolled her eyes at him, who did he think he was? Probably the best thing that walked on this earth, she usually hated people like him, but he was just so different than any of them that she was defiantly interested in getting to know him.

She saw Emma staring at her and looked at her. "What?" She asked, she was expecting the whole stupid girl conversation where she was blamed for having a crush on a guy she barely knew, but Emma wasn't the kind of girl do give those kinds of dumb speeches.

"His name was Teddy?"

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><p>The next day wasn't as productive as the last, the boys spent their time studying and getting ready for the upcoming test, one in which all the boys seemed prepared for. After hours of studying Eddy felt like his head would explode and then implode into a black hole.<p>

"How do you keep all of this in sock head?" it was a rhetorical question, one that Edd rarely picked up on.

He simply shrugged and took a sip of some water, it was pretty hot today. By the time the studying was over Nazz had decided to show up, which was odd, even now that everyone was friends she still never visit them unless she was invited. When Ed answered the door he gave her a hug and then she entered the living room where the Ed's were.

Edd didn't look up from the book he was reading, but Eddy needed an excuse to look up from his. "What's up?"

"Um," she started, and gave a fleeting glance at Edd. "Do you guys know where Kevin is? I haven't seen him all day."

Edd wanted to yell for some reason, so now that Kevin was gone she decided to come talk to them? What kind of person was she?

"He's probably hanging out with Kyle and his goons." Eddy spat out, he was still a little sore over that subject and he had every reason to be, he hated those guys.

Nazz nodded and then stood there awkwardly for a while, she really thought that they would know. Edd offered her no condolence, he sat there continuing to read his book, he just didn't know whether to be angry or sad, there was just too much for him to figure out when she was around.

"Go ahead and take a load off here then, were done studying." Eddy leaned his forehead on the cool table, he seemed to forget that it was Edd's house that they were at so it was up to him if she stayed or left, but he gave no answer, so she sat down next to Eddy.

They spent a long time just making idle chit-chat, then she left without a word from Edd. Only after they were in his room and getting ready for bed did Eddy mention it.

"Dang Double-D you got a vendetta with Nazz or something?"

He sighed; she was a hard topic for him. "No, I just didn't have anything to say to her." He wanted to have a simple reason for it all, but there just wasn't one.

"You won't ever have anything to say to her, and I don't think its cause your too shy anymore, you seemed mad when she came over."

He just turned around in his bed, signaling that he didn't want to talk anymore. He was tired of talking about her. He didn't want to think about her before he went to sleep, unfortunately though like most nights he did.

He had a dream that was not meant for him, and once he woke up he felt like he had somehow broken a law or something. It was a simple dream, he had given Nazz a love letter and she had thanked him for it with a kiss, it had sent his hopes skyrocketing, but then he woke up. He closed his eyes again and made sure not to have another dream, he was so tired of the heartbreak of waking up.

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><p>When they woke up and got ready the only thing that Eddy did was complain, how he hated school, how he hated the weekend because they lead up to school, and mostly how he just hated waking up so dang early. His friends let the complaining go, it was one of the things that Eddy was known for and they had accepted it many years ago. He yawned, then snapped at Ed who had been unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time in the kitchen. Kevin wasn't at the bus stop either, and everyone secretly watched as Nazz seemed to constantly look over towards his house, probably hoping that he would hurry up, she did this until the bus showed up, then decided to sit by Rolph when it finally came.<p>

Class sucked as usual, the test in their second period class was impossible, but somehow they all managed. When lunch started a lot of people seemed to be staring or pointing towards Ed's direction, even the most oblivious of the Ed's noticed.

"Um, why is everyone staring at me?" Another person did it; it didn't look like they were making fun of him either because there was no laughing.

They sat down at an empty table, and that's when Double-D decided to talk. "I don't really know, some of the kids are staring now but it doesn't seem to be directed towards Eddy or me."

Eddy didn't like the fact that he wasn't getting the attention. "What did you do lumpy?" he pointed his fork towards him.

He shrugged his eyes wide when 4 giants of people walked up to the table. They were very muscular and bigger than even Ed.

"Hi there," one of them said, his voice was very deep and automatically they knew that he was a senior, that got Eddy shacking, here came the swirly's.

Another of the boys pointed towards Ed. "So you must be Ed right? We've heard about you from Cody. Says you can throw the ball pretty far."

Ed gulped, these guys kind of scared him, they toward over him and he wasn't used to that. "Y-yes I can throw the ball far." He didn't sound cocky at all, the boys gave him a weird look, a football player wasn't supposed to studded, ever.

"We'd like to see you throw after school if that's fine with you." The deep voice guy smiled, he was waiting for an answer but Ed wasn't giving one.

"Ya he'll do it after school, just so he can show off a bit." Eddy replied for him, something that he was always good at.

The guys nodded and walked off, they seemed nice but then again so did most of the seniors before they attacked you. Eddy didn't trust them as far as he could throw them and seeing as how big they were he was sure that he couldn't even pick them up.

Double-D soothed Ed with some of his words of wisdom, something about how it was his time to prove himself or something, Eddy wasn't paying attention. Kenzie and Emma decided to sit with them at the table, where were the other cul-de-sac kids?

"Whoa you got big Carson to talk to you," she whistled to add some effect. "One of you guys must be really good at football, and I think I already know who." She smiled at Ed, he looked nervous. He didn't like attention on him.

Eddy scarfed his food down and slapped Ed on the shoulder. "Show'em how it's done Lumpy, I got full confidence that you'll make me proud."

Ed looked at him. "Do you really think so Eddy?" he whipped his sweaty hands on his coat.

Eddy slung his arm over Ed's shoulder and pulled him in close, he waved his hand in front of them to get a mental image. "I see it now Ed, you'll throw the ball and it'll go so far that they'll have to go and pick it up from Mars."

Ed laughed; he imagined a football floating around in space. "Mk then, I'll try and throw it at mars, but I don't know where it is."

"Just focus on the field first lumpy, we can worry about Mars later."

Both the girls smiled at that, the guys might not have been able to see how sweet that was, but it was.

"What are you smiling at?" Eddy pointedly said, the girls shook their heads.

Kenzie laughed. "Nothing, nothing. Hey good luck out there Ed, you know tryouts are coming up too, you should go get the slip after school when you're done throwing."

Ed nodded, but didn't say anything, he didn't know much about football so he would probably mess up if he went to the tryouts.

The bell rung and everyone went to class, Ed was scared the whole day, and it was even harder for him to concentrate on what the teacher was saying. He almost didn't want 6th period to end, but it did and he slowly walked out to the field. Eddy had to go talk to Snider about the test and Double-D had to go to the computer lab to finish some extra credit. Ed was by himself at the moment.

He opened the side door to the High school and saw the 3 guys waiting for him. He was breathing too hard while he walked, he felt like he had already run 4 miles, he was just panicking too much. That is until he heard someone yell for him.

"You can do it, don't get scared on me!" Eddy shouted from the window of the teacher's room.

He looked at the other window and saw that Double-D was waving at him from it, he couldn't open the window.

His smile was as big as it could get, he wasn't alone right now, and he had his best friends watching him even when they weren't by his side. One of the boys passed him the ball and he caught it with one of his large hands.

"Do you need to warm up?" the boys stared down at him.

He cracked his throwing shoulder, and smiled again. "No, it's ok I'll throw now."

The deep voiced guy ran to the other side of the ten. Edd squinted slightly in the sun, he got in his throwing stance, which the other guys made faces at, and he threw it towards him. The ball missed its mark, but not by much, the guy just refused to move. Ed tried to gulp but his mouth was so dry that he couldn't.

The other guys came up to him after that. They instructed him on how to stand, to look and to place the pass. It took a long time for him to learn, but after about an hour of some practice he got it. Eddy and Double-D were waiting; they were on the benches doing some of the homework.

"Nice one there Ed, I saw how far you threw it, maybe Mars will be pretty close now." Eddy bragged for him, not trying to be modest in the least.

He walked with them to Double-D's house, and then left because he had to go home quickly to watch Sarah. As usual his parents were snuggling up with her on the couch; they were all watching a movie. Ed was proud of himself; he came in with a pretty good smile on his face. His parents barely even looked at him when he walked in; they were too engrossed in their time with their precious daughter.

They had always wanted a girl, and it was clear to everyone that it was true. They babied her like no one else and there was always the constant threat that she would tell on him for something and get him in some serious trouble. Those days stopped a long time ago, when everyone had decided to be friends, so did the siblings, and they were able to live together in harmony, but that didn't stop his parents from loving her more than they did him, it was just what he knew.

"Young man, you had Sarah waiting for such a long time." His dad didn't seem so happy with him, he showed it pretty well.

"Your fathers right, you know how Sarah is when she has to wait too long." His mother joined in, his smile wavered slightly, he should be used to this by now.

Sarah groaned loudly. "Mom, Dad I'm fine, you can leave now." She practically pushed them outside.

"Mk, stay safe sweetie." Their mom Said in a pretty loving tone. "Watch your sister Ed." It didn't sound as sweet.

Sarah smiled at her older brother, she knew about the parent situation. "Sorry bro, but I have to go to Jimmy's." She opened the door and left. He was always ok when she spent the night at Jimmy's, and he slept like a rock even though his sister wasn't in the house.

The next day started out like any other day. He was happy that he had finished his homework, and when he had gotten to school with his 2 best friends he turned it in to Mrs. Snider and got a golden star on it. Everything was going pretty well, that is until someone shoved a piece of paper in his face. It was Carson the senior from before; he had a pretty big smile on his face.

"You're joining the team freshman." It didn't sound like an order but it wasn't a question either.

He looked around for Eddy and Double-D but neither of them could be found, one was talking to a teacher during lunch, and the other was still in the lunch line which was too far for him to see Ed who was by the bathrooms. He wanted to run but something inside him held him in that spot.

The senior must have read is face because he took a step back, and moved the paper away from him. "Sorry man, I'm not really used to talking to you freshman. I forget how easy it is to scare you sometimes." He sounded like he was joking, and there was a small smile on his face. "Think about it though, you have the arm of a senior, and you just got into high school. I'm the captain of the team so I can swear to you now that you'll get playing time."

That's when he handed him the paper and patted him on the shoulder before leaving to go talk to some other seniors. Anyone would have probably been ecstatic to go and get some playing time as a freshman, but it was the exact opposite for Ed. He didn't want to play at all, if anything he would have preferred to just watch the game instead of having the pressure on him. He had never really played any sports, he was a mascot once, but that's as close to a player as he got.

He held the paper carefully in his hands, like if he squeezed it to hard it would disappear; he kind of hoped it would. He spent the rest of the day trying to figure out whether or not to go to the tryouts; they were in 2 weeks, which meant he had until then to learn how to actually play the sport. Or he could just throw away the paper and not do the sport at all, it was something he was considering, but he really did like throwing the ball. This wasn't a huge problem so he decided to hold it back when he was talking to Eddy and Double-D, he didn't want to start something. Instead he had decided to go to the next best thing, a reliable source, and a mastermind.

* * *

><p>Mr. Rodgers sat at his desk; he was reading the newest release of one of the comics he had loved. When Ed walked in he quickly hid it under his desk and pretended to do paperwork. "Oh, how are you today Ed? There's no homework today if that's what you were going to ask." He talked a little fast, mostly because he wanted Ed out so he could finish his comic; he was on the best part too.<p>

Ed walked up to the desk and laid the paper in front of his teacher. It didn't take him long to read, and when he was finished he stood up to shake Ed's hand. "You're going to join the football team! That's great news, I'll be sure to watch some of your games." He thought that was it, but Ed's troubled face made him stop in his congratulation. "Is there something wrong?"

Ed nodded, and then sighed. "I don't know if I should join, I want to throw the ball and play, but I'm scared that I could mess up and then everyone would be mad at me." He pouted for effect; it was something that had actually been bugging him.

Mr. Rodgers sat back down and felt like kind of an idiot for what he had said before. "You know what Ed, I think you're thinking too much into this." Ed gave him a confused look, usually he didn't think enough into things, he wasn't used to hearing that, his look made the teacher continue. "You shouldn't worry about messing up, I mean when I started as a teacher, I was always scared that I would mess up and the whole class could end up hating me, I got over that when I read 'Rice man the soy sauce killer.' You know what he says." He didn't even have to finish the quote, Ed knew.

Rice man always said, no one should ever be too scared to fail because failing just makes you stronger. He almost smiled, he should have remembered that, but he was too busy worrying, maybe that's what the teacher had meant. Mr. Rodgers was glad that he helped his student, if anything it made him feel more like a teacher, like he had accomplished something, but he still hadn't read his comic and he had to rush Ed out of the class quickly.

Ed ran to Eddy's house and knocked on the door fiercely, but he forgot who's house he was at. A giant of a man opened the door and scowled at Ed. "What do you want?" his voice was gruff and he looked angrier than before.

Whatever he was about to say was force back into him as he gulped each word down. Eddy came to the door and dragged Ed away from the house.

"Carful there lumpy, almost didn't get back to you in time, you're lucky I was about to go to Sock heads house." Eddy glared back at his dad when he slammed the door shut.

Ed showed him the signed form, he was ready for training and then tryouts, he could do it.

Eddy smiled and looked at the paper. "Here come's mars then."

* * *

><p><strong>The whole story is pretty much the title. I'm pretty sure you already know what Kenzie and Emma are for, but they will actually be a bigger (but not even close to as large as the Ed's) part of the story. I've got plans for them, trust me (: Please review and I'll go faster :D <strong>


	6. Bottles

**Bottles **

Ed slumped down next to Eddy in Double-D's home. School had been exhausting and then practice had been equally as bad if not more so. The seniors were working him to death and then some as he learned the ins and outs of football. Edd gave him a concerned look when they had finished their homework and tried to get Eddy to help him. Eddy said he would be fine after he got some rest on the carpet, but his idea was quickly discarded when Ed let out a moan.

"Ok fine then Ed, what's wrong with ya?" He wanted to go to Kenzie's house to have a small party, but Ed's pains were stopping that.

Ed rolled around the carpet to find a colder spot, when he found it he let out a sigh. "Eddy, I hurt." His muscles were pretty strained, he didn't know if he could do another practice session.

"Of course they hurt. The upper-class idiots are probably hazing you." Eddy replied, knowing all too well how hazing went, his brother had showed him enough of it. "It's gonna hurt for a while, you're lucky you got out of there with both your arms." Then he gave a look of mock shock and quickly ran over, grasping Ed's face with his hand. "But look at this, they took your chin!" he shook his face and laughed at the same time.

Ed chuckled lightly as his vision slowly came back; Double-D let out a small chuckle in the background. Eddy's lightening joke had got them going; the Ed's started walking over towards Kenzie's house. They didn't walk all that fast, not even Eddy who was always impatient to get somewhere. They took the long way to the fields, which was through the junkyard and towards the forest. Eddy felt the same ping of fear hit him. He knew where they were now, by the Kanker's house. All the memories from childhood and up when he was attacked and kissed by the three sisters to their hearts content came flooding back and made him shiver. Even after everyone had become friends the Kanker's still looked for them and always found a way to snatch them up and give them what they referred to as 'luvin' but the Ed's knew it as something completely different, something on the lines of torture. He tied his shoes extra tight just in case he had to run fast, and yet he knew if they got chased somehow he would be the one to get caught, that's just how his luck was. He knew his friends where probably thinking the same thing as him, because they shifted uncomfortable and looked from left to right many times. They walked past the trailer park and where not greeted by anything at all, something in Eddy seemed to hurt by that.

Once they were far enough away, Eddy spoke. "Hey guys have you noticed that there haven't been any Kanker attacks whatsoever since school started?" he quickly waved his hands in-front of him. "I aint saying that's a bad thing or nothing, it's just weird right?" He looked back at the trailers and the same pain came back, or was it worry?

Edd sighed, the Kankers had always been a scary subject, but recently after they heard what was going on with them, now it was just sad. "Eddy you know the path they took requires a lot of….well their time, I don't know if we'll see them again." Nothing much needed to be said after that, they all knew.

"MARIE!" Lee kicked her sister as hard as she could; launching her off the couch, bottles and other things fell to the floor making clattering noises that echoed in the trailer.

May shot up, grabbing one of the bottles and threw them at her sister. "Will you shut up! I got the worst headache."

Lee dodged the bottle just in time, but the wall took the brunt of it and the bottle shattered all over the floor. "Look what you did May, you better clean that up before Dad gets home." That woke Marie up, she quickly rolled on the floor and got up, but the act made her headache come back and she gripped her hair, hissing in pain.

The sisters took their time cleaning up, the headaches held them back quite a bit and moving to much almost made them throw up. The after effect of the liquor really took its toll on them, they still weren't used to it, they were still beginners. The trailer was restored to a half dirty mess, but the thick smell of the booze still clung to anything that it could and masked the air. Windows were quickly opened, and the air conditioner was turned on to full blast, they sprayed perfume to cover up the smell, not like it really mattered, their dad drank all the time and would probably think it was his smell. They did it for another reason that they really didn't understand like something inside them refused to leave the empty bottles and horrid smell in the trailer. The thing inside them didn't want the truth staring them in the face all day long. They hadn't wanted to do this at the beginning, if you asked them they would just say it happened, but it started during the summer, it was amazing how quickly it just started.

_High school was about to start, everyone was getting ready and packing up for the next 4 years of misery. Lee didn't even get a pencil, she was in all the remedial classes as usual, she guessed that's what she deserved for running off and skipping class all the time. She defiantly wasn't alone though, her sisters would be joining her in all the classes. They had been sent off by the school board, there was no way the school was trying to 'save them' they were just being pawned off for another 4 years to a place they didn't even want to go to. Lee spit on the ground and looked at the setting sun on top of her trailer with her sisters._

"_Lee this is stupid…" Marie stated, not even trying to sum up their predicament in a good way. _

_Somewhere inside her Lee felt responsible for her sisters and what they would have to deal with in the remedial classes. It was her who had started skipping at a young age, it was her who had decided that all that homework and stuff was for people who didn't know what to be in the future, and it was her who mouthed off and got in trouble at school first, her sisters just followed her into the abyss of loathing school. Ultimately all that got her was more hatred for school and the people who worked there. She had doomed her sister's futures and her own as well, she hated herself, she hated the school, she hated everything. _

_She just shrugged, the pain was getting worse, she needed to stop thinking, but she couldn't. The pain just stayed there and ate at her ever so quickly, she wanted the pain gone, she wanted it gone no matter how much it took. _

"_What do we do Lee, should we just start skipping class again, but then what about after high schools over where do we go?" May asked, her tone sounding a bit sad. _

_Again Lee shrugged. Her pain and hatred only increasing, she could change everything right now, she could tell her sisters that it was all right and that they could finish school easily, actually get good grades, but it was too late. She just didn't have the heart to say it, to give them hope in her when she knew she would fail them, there was no way she would stay in school,' one day' she would tell herself she would just skip for a day, and then it would turn into a week, then more and more until she had skipped half the school year, she would do it again and again, there was no stopping her. That's when she decided to go for a walk by the lumpers territory, they went there all the time and were always able to roam around without attracting any attention. When Lee looked back at this day she never understood what in life hated her enough for this one day to be the day someone decided to walk up to them and offer them a drink. He said they looked 'down' and needed a lift back up, said it would help ease whatever troubles they had. Lee wanted to wave the guy off, she really did, but the pain in her seemed to remind her that she needed something to stop it and she decided that she would give it one try. So she bought 1 off of him and told him to scram. Lee took a sip and almost spit it out, it was bitter and not very good, but it brought a new sensation into her that she couldn't ignore. She started to feel warm, it crept along her body and the more she drank, the warmer she felt, her pain begin to numb as she drank more and more, it slowly lulled her into a sense of forgetfulness. She forgot the beatings from her dad, the constant shame she and her family had, she forgot everything. She drank until she couldn't feel anything and was lost in the warmth of it all._

_The next day she woke up in the trailer with the worst of headaches, she opened her eyes and quickly shut them. The light was blinding and burned her eyes. She rolled over with a huff, this was pain that she hadn't felt before, the self-loathing continued but she didn't care, she opened one of her eyes and saw Marie and May on the floor, they seemed passed out. She tried to yell their names but it just came out as a weird gurgling noise. Lee looked around the room and noticed the multiple bottles on the floor; she had only bought one bottle right? No she knew she did, where did all these others come from? May groggily got up and clutched her head. She swayed slightly and almost fell again; Lee got up and looked at her eyes wide and speechless. She tried to grab her but stumbled forward and hit the floor, catching the attention of her sister._

"_So this is the hangover dad always talks about, no wonder he's always cranky." May chuckled, and in that moment Lee wanted to throttle her, she just sounded so stupid and calm at a time like this._

_She should have yelled at them and made them stop right there, but she had started it yet again, and how could she tell them to stop when she knew she would keep doing it. So she shut her trap and let the hatred and anger pains come back at her, let them take over and completely drain her until she felt like there was nothing left but a hollow shell, she needed another drink._

Lee didn't stop them from drinking, she kept doing it herself too until it seemed to consume their lives. They still hadn't gone to school yet and the first month was already done, they weren't starting off on a good foot at all, that's why she decided to go to school tomorrow on Wednesday and tell her teachers some lie to get them off the hook. She still didn't know what lie to make up, there weren't much that could excuse 3 sisters from school for a month, but she would find a way, have her dad sign a couple of slips while he was drunk, the same old stuff. She took one last swig of her beer and threw it in the dumpster with all the other ones, the Kanker sisters got themselves looking pretty and went outside for another walk, this time not towards the Lumpers area. They walked towards the junkyard, yawning and rubbing their eyes the whole way there. They eventually ended up at the playground, for once there seemed to be no one there, so Lee and her sisters sat down and looked out towards the forest for some reason Lee expected some knight in shining armor to come up and save them from whatever they managed to land. That's when she thought of Eddy. It had been a long time since she had thought of the shrimp, well he wasn't exactly a shrimp anymore, but he would always be that way to her, with him and his big mouth. She wondered how he was right now, living his life to whatever path he had decided to go with the other Ed's, she still had a little thing for him. Something that she wasn't able to express as much as she wanted to lately. They were in two different places that should never meet up.

Marie leaned back on the slide; it felt cool and soothed her aches that she must have gotten in her drunken stupor. She felt horrible and sick but didn't voice it, just like she hadn't when her sister had drank the whole bottle of beer and had bragged and scoffed them for doing so. There was no way she would lose to her sister so she went with May to track down the guy and get 2 more bottles and was able to have the same experience as her sister, to share in what they had felt, her own pains going numb and being able to drink them all away. That is until she had woken up and felt the full effects of the drink, she thought that would have been the motive to get her to stop yet Lee kept doing it, then May followed in her footsteps and lastly Marie had decided that the feel of it all was too much to give up and she became intoxicated with it.

"I kinda hate this place Lee." Marie whispered, scared that the words might trigger something that was never meant to be said.

"Ya it sucks, let's take another vacation." May happily requested, she sounded like a kid, making Lee's insides twitch.

"What are you stupid? Our vacation was here last time." The words came out pretty harsh like they did when they were younger so it didn't affect them.

May pushed herself a little higher on the swings she had stopped talking and bit her lip. Lee looked up and saw that she was struggling. "Spit it out already!"

May bit her lip a little harder and then let out what she was thinking. "Well…I mean last time I got to see Ed." The Ed's were a sore subject for them they didn't really know why it just hurt them when any of their names where mentioned kind of like a punch to the gut but a little softer.

"She's got a point I miss my little sweetie." Marie sighed and looked down at the ground; ever since they had first started drinking the other Ed's seemed to completely ignore them worse than anything else they had done before, at least they had acknowledged them before, but now all they got were sideway glances, almost like they were truly terrified of them.

"Who cares about you, it's all about me and my man." Lee smiled mischievously, maybe they would get the Ed's again for old time sakes, it made sense to her. "Hey ladies I know what we're going to do today." She started to chuckle and then her sisters joined in as well, making Lee's insides feel even warmer than when she drank.

Eddy sat next to Emma and Kenzie at the party for a while; he was making small talk with both.

"I'm serious the oaf actually ripped open a teddy bear with his teeth!" Eddy cried, laughing loudly enough to get everyone's attention.

Kenzie and Emma laughed with him only helping to raise the volume; some of the people looked at them like they were crazy, but most just shrugged and kept to the party. Ed, who had heard his name, walked over and sat next to Eddy.

"What I do?" Ed looked at them with a genuine smile he didn't mind much if he was being laughed about, as long as it was funny.

Eddy slapped Ed's shoulder. "I was telling them about when you ate the bear." He snickered a little, it was that funny.

"Oh ya…it didn't taste too good." Ed cringed, the taste in his mouth coming back.

Emma giggled in the background at his face. "Well not a lot of people like the taste of stuffed animals." she waited for everyone to stop laughing, then nudge Ed who was sitting by her. "It's ok though it's kind of an acquired taste I would guess."

"You should try it, you might just like it. It's like a fuzzy warm pancake." Edd reconsidered the whole 'never eat a bear again' statement, he made it sound so good, he chuckled at the idea of eating it again. Ed was taking most of the couch and when he laughed he bumped against Emma a little, but she was ok with it.

Eddy would usually butt into the conversation to get some attention on him but he was too busy talking with Kenzie, they had been talking for a long while, getting to know each other and the EDventures he had been through. "I'm glad you didn't see me when I was young, even though I was as handsome as I am now, I was super short." He scratched his head and looked away from Kenzies smile. "Took me long enough to grow, but now that I'm taller I can't keep the ladies away." He put his hands behind his head in the cockiest way he could.

Kenzie let out a loud 'HA' and looked around the room. "Wow look at this you've got all the girls lining up to see you, too bad you can't see them." She looked around one more time just to mock him. "You've got one active imagination don't you?"

Eddy glared at her, he didn't look mad but Kenzie knew that she had pushed a button, but it changed to a look of amusement quickly, signaling that he wasn't that mad. "That's cause I haven't talked to any of'em yet." He leaned back into the couch. "Then again I'm not one for talking to you lemon brooks, you guys weren't very nice the last time we saw you." He gave her a sideways glance and smirked.

She slapped his arm gently enough not to be mean but it still left a little sting. "Will you ever let that go? To be fair, you acted like a jerk first." She gave a dramatic pout and sniffled for effect. "That really hurt you know."

Eddy gave her an unconvinced look, then laughed lightly. "Ya ya, too bad you didn't even care, I bet you were like 'who cares about this guy, I mean he may be incredibly hot and good at sports but I don't care.'" he acted her out as a shrill squeaky voice, just to make her even more mad.

She looked like she was going to hit him again but Edd came to Eddy's rescue, he walked up to them shyly and looked nervously out to the crowed. "Eddy, I don't think I can talk to these people, we've been here for a while and I've only made idle conversation with each person I've come across." He glanced at Nazz momentarily; she had been invited by Emma and was chatting away with some guys. He wouldn't lie there was a ping of jealousy, but then he took the emotion and let it go.

Eddy lazily got up from the couch, he groaned dramatically. He saw the look that Edd made and wanted to hit him for it. "If you want to get noticed, you've got to mingle Double-D." There wasn't much more that needed to be said for Eddy, but he knew that Edd would want a whole explanation of everything.

"I don't want the attention of others." Edd plainly stated, he had never been one for making a statement at party's like Eddy was.

Eddy groaned again more dramatic than last time, "Edd I'm not your babysitter! Go talk to someone or don't complain about it." Eddy looked upset at first but then he saw how sad Double-D looked and he looked up and sighed. "Ok fine! You can talk with me, but don't cramp my style." Eddy pulled his jacket over himself a little more and tried his best to look cool.

Edd who was just glad to have someone to accompany him walked close behind Eddy, but when he stopped he bumped into his back. "Kenzie you're coming too!" he was loud enough for the whole room to hear and Kenzie mumbled under her breath when she followed him.

"I kinda hate you…"

"No you don't there's too much awesome for you to hate me."

Eddy went from person to person, getting Edd to know them and actually making some acquaintances. One of the people he was actually happy to talk to was the Allen guy he met at the field.

Allen was talking with two other girls and was making them laugh, his smile was defined and he had pretty bright white teeth, he laughed along with the girls and kept telling a joke he had heard. "….But that was pretty much all of the joke, funny right?" the girls shook their heads in approval and then walked off to go talk to Nike.

"Dang it…." Allen mumbled, staring at the girls as they left. "He always gets the ladies." It took him a while to turn around and when he did he was greeted by a snicker from Kenzie.

"Looks like you just got shot down for Nike, again." She laughed, putting up her fingers to display to him. "What is that, the 10the time?" She didn't even try to conceal her laugh.

Allen gave her a smile and gave a quick glance to Nike. "It could be, I don't count though, it would be too depressing." He traced his finger down from his eye to his chin, signifying a fake tear. "And It would be too much to bare for me." Before he continued with his talk with Kenzie, he looked at Eddy and Double-D. "Oh, friends of yours Kenzie?" He shook Double-D's hand and nodded towards Eddy.

Kenzie let out a snort. "No, I just got finished saying I hate Eddy over here." Another pointed look towards him, but he just shrugged innocently to the remark.

"We played you guy's back there in what is not your field didn't we?" Allen questioned, his face not showing any kind of anger.

"Ya, what about it?" Eddy snapped back; there was a little tense tone to it.

Allen put his hands up and chuckled, "Hey we lost fair and square, I was just going to say that you're pretty good at soccer, I play too actually." He turned his attention on Eddy more. "What position you play?"

Eddy didn't know all that much about soccer but he had been watching it on TV, and played it for a while now. "Forward, they get the most glory." He wouldn't lie about why he wanted the position, it was all for the fame of it.

That got Allen laughing, "Yup, well I make my own kind of glory in defense, I play right back so I still get to run it up and defend, that's what makes it so fun. The other team has no idea what I'll do." He had a wide smile as he described it, as if he was holding some kind of excitement while he talked.

Edd looked towards Kenzie, he wasn't a sports fan, he had no idea what they were talking about. She laughed and mouthed a quick 'sorry' towards him. He sighed, but gave her a reassuring smile and walked off towards the door. He was done for the day, he was very happy that Ed and Eddy where able to make friends, but he wasn't as sociable as either of them and the fact that Nazz was at this party didn't really help that much, If anything he wanted some time alone to gather his thoughts, but someone grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't think I forgot about you, gosh you're such a drama queen sometimes I think I'm in a soap opera." Eddy smiled; he wrapped his arm around his shoulders and led him to the kitchen. "Hey while we're at it let's get a quick snack, I think my stomach is eating itself."

Edd sighed, but there was a smile on his face when he walked. They walked in to see two people making out, something that embarrassed Edd and left his face red when they giggled and left. "That was…well um, very awkward."

Eddy shrugged and took out two cans of soda from the fridge. "High school life. Got to get used to it someday," he slid one of the sodas across the table to Edd who barely managed to grab it. "My bro told me a lot about how making out and stuff happens a lot when you're in High school."

Hearing that only made Edd blush more. "W-wait so you mean w-what they were just doing t-that's natural in High school."

Eddy looked at Double-D like he was dumb (something that rarely happened). "Ya course it is, happens with couples and junk like that I guess." He shrugged like it was nothing really and chugged the rest of his soda. He clutched his chest and moaned in pain, a symptom from drinking to fast, Edd was going to chastise him about it when he heard yelling from the living room.

He could make out some words from the kitchen like 'my man' and 'others' but that was it, he opened the kitchen door and froze to the spot, because right there at the door were the 3 Kanker sisters, standing proud and arrogant as always.

"Heard from the grape vine that the Ed's were here, cough'em up." Lee scanned the room quickly, she was able to spot Ed first then Double-D, who stood there at the door with his eyes wide. "Where's Eddy?"

Edd was immediately pulled by his collar from the door with a yelp. Eddy pulled him to the hallway and pushed him towards the backdoor. "We got to get out of here!" he whispered, unlocking the locks and opening the door. "It's the Kankers huh? My gut was telling me something was up." Eddy always listened to his instincts and his gut, if there was anything that never failed him it was those things.

Edd was about to run out the door when he remembered that they had left poor Ed on the couch. "No Eddy wait, we forgot about Ed." He held onto the back of Eddy's shirt to keep him from running.

"We got to leave him; the Kankers are going to catch us if we run back in there."

"Eddy! He's our friend we've got to go back for him."

Eddy took a last look at freedom before he groaned again and slowly walked back to the kitchen door. "If we get caught this is all on you Sockhead." He whispered harshly.

"Thank you Eddy."

Eddy opened the door a crack and was able to see the scene that was unfolding. Marie and Lee had walked up to the couch and were staring Emma down while May was trying to pull Ed off the couch.

"Whatcha trying to pull, sitting near out sisters man like that, he's married you know." Lee growled, pointing a finger at Ed and May, she was hugging his neck tightly and he was gasping for air.

"What do you do Eddy?" Edd asked in a panic, they needed to get the Kankers and Ed out of the house.

Eddy gave him a double take. "Why do I have to figure it out?"

"You figure everything out, come now Eddy you can do it."

Eddy ran towards the cupboard and pulled out a spatula, he then swung open the door and threw it at Lee, it ended up sticking in her red hair.

Edd looked at the spatula and then Eddy. "You had all this time to think and you decided to do that?"

"Just watch." Eddy smirked, laughing a little.

Lee tried to find the foreign object that was in her hair. When she found it she tried to pull it off but it was too far in and got caught, she yanked at it again and again but it was stuck, and that's when she started to freak out.

"My hair, what's in my hair?!" She kept pulling and thrashing around the room, May and Marie stopped what they were doing and tried to help her get it off.

Eddy snatched Ed away and the Ed's rushed out of the house, just in time to hear the Kankers get the spatula out and run after them. Eddy shivered a little as he heard their weird kind of cackle as they chased them.

Eddy lead the group towards the junkyard, then took a turn towards Double-D's house instead. They hid inside, listening outside. Edd looked at one of the sticky notes that had fallen on the ground, it caught his attention and he picked it up to read it.

"Oh no," he whispered, just loud enough for Ed to hear.

"What's wrong?" Ed moved his head to where it was touching Double-D's, he was trying to read the note, but it was too dark.

He cleared his throat and moved it out of Ed's eyesight, he got up to go to the trash, when he threw it away Eddy gave him a blank stare.

"I already know what day it is today, your hat must be squeezin' your head to hard if you think I would forget." He turned back to the door and listened again.

"You're more than welcomed to stay Eddy, please consider it this time." It wasn't a demand but more of a plea from Edd.

Eddy's chuckle sounded a little dark, or sad. "Ya right, I'll go home today. I bet my folks miss me anyways." He listened outside and then unlocked the doors, and ran right into the Kankers.

They had ambushed them; they stood right outside the door to Edd's house without making a sound. He had bumped into Lee and instantly fell back into the house, he would have been scared, but she smelled like beer so when he looked up at her and saw what she had become, it wasn't a look of fear but one of sadness. Lee looked at him through her messy hair and saw the unfamiliar look of sadness. He looked at her like he pitied her, like she needed help, if anyone else gave her that looks shed pound them into the ground, but it was the fact that it was Eddy of all people to look at her that way that broke her heart.

She turned around with her head hung low and walked away. "…Lets go girls."

They listened and walked with her, they had seen the same faces from the other 2 Ed's as well. Eddy watched them as they left there was a part of him that wanted to get up and tell them to stop, but he got up and walked the other way instead towards his house. Ed caught up with him and walked behind him.

"Why cant'cha stay at Double-D's house?" Ed caught up to him and walked to the side of Eddy.

The same dark chuckle from him. "His parents are coming home today, I saw the note like last week, can't believe he thought he could get away with it."

Ed knew well enough why Eddy always stayed at Double-D's house and he stood in front of him immediately. "Wait Eddy, You can stay with me today! It could be like a cool slumber party!" His words were rushed and his smile was wavering slightly.

Eddy stopped and considered it for a half a second, but then gently moved him out of the way. "Nah, I don't even want to stay in that stinky room of yours, anyways your parents hate me they locked me out last time!" it was true Ed's parents couldn't stand Eddy, he didn't care all that much because the reasons why they hated him were kinda true, he wasn't really a good role model for Sarah or Ed when he was over, but they mostly cared about the Sarah thing.

He rested his hand on Ed's shoulder. "Ed, go home I'll be all right so don't baby me, you know I hate that." He smirked and pushed Ed towards his house. "Now that I'm taller no more babying."

Ed took another step towards him and Eddy showed him off like he was a bug in the air. He took the hint and started to walk off, but he turned around and sniffled a little. "Be careful Eddy."

He didn't turn around he just waved him off one more time before walking up to his door. He sighed deeply and turned around towards the junkyard and thought of the Kankers, the look of hurt they had on their faces when they left he swore to himself then that he would help Lee out as much as he could. He opened his door and walked into his cigarette smelling house, he coughed a couple times before he saw his dad sitting in the chair, his back turned to him and a bottle in his hand.

"Where the hell were you boy?"

Eddy closed the door to his escape; he had run before, and would never ever do it again. He would help the Kankers out as soon as he could, but it would have to wait.

"I was away." He murmured as he tried to rush up the stairs.

"Whoa there, wait and talk to your dad a little."

He bit his lip and closed his eyes tight to hold back tears.

Ya it would have to wait. He had his own problems to deal with.


	7. Starting something you shouldnt forget

**Not much homework for a three day weekend equals chapters after chapters and updates after updates, really excited to make this, it was just sitting there the whole time halfway through and i finally finished it, be proud of me ;3;.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ed Edd n Eddy or the characters. If i did though i would be on the moon watching re-runs of my characters.**

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><p><strong>Starting something you shouldn't forget<strong>

Eddy's ribcage screamed in pain as he got ready for school. He had checked it when he was taking a shower and almost cried at the sight of the blue and purple blotch that was on his skin now. His dad had been especially brutal with his beating this time, almost breaking his ribs in the process. Eddy cursed himself for not taking Double-D's or Ed's offer to stay over, but they needed time with their own families, he wouldn't really know how that felt but if families actually made you feel better than they both needed them Eddy would be fine. He was rushing over to his front door when he saw his mom at the table, eating some cereal. They stared at each other for a moment, each trying not to conform to the others gaze, finally his mother gave up.

"You ok? I heard your little scuffle with your dad yesterday." He hated how she always called them 'scuffles' like it was an ok thing and not life threatening.

"Ya I'm peachy, thanks for the help though," he spit out, not even trying to hide his anger and hatred for his mother. "Then again you'll listen to my screams before you'll ever stick up for me, admit it you're just as afraid as I am, the only difference is you'll let it happen as long as it's not you." He dared her to say something to that, he had her pinned and she shrugged as if he had said nothing, he just walked out on her, she wasn't worth another word.

He couldn't jog or run today, so instead he opted for a good old fashion power walk. He got to the bus stop in record time, before anyone else in-fact. It wasn't a race but then again not a lot of things were even if he thought they were. There was a reason he had gotten here so early, he whipped the sweat off his forehead and prepped himself for when everyone came, the pain was horrible but if he could last the day without anyone noticing it would all be ok. He waited and waited for people to come, all the while mentally preparing himself for what might happen, he thought of questions and comebacks to them just in case someone asked. 'Eddy why did you wince there?', 'well because I bit my cheek', 'why are you sweating so much, it's not even that hot.', 'well when you're as hot as me you tend to sweat a little', each scenario he had a perfect response too, he just hoped he wouldn't have to do it a lot, then again he was used to this. He heard distant murmurs and his cool demeanor appeared, he was an excellent liar, but his look stopped when he saw that it was Ed and Double-D who had been talking. He tried to look as calm as he could when they rushed over to him, each having a worried look glued to their face.

"Eddy, are you ok today?" Ed asked, his voice hitching a little. It sounded like he might cry any second.

Double-D who had been looking over his body had his mouth shut and his jaw clenched slightly, he was thinking and worrying and stressing himself out all at the same time, it wasn't a good combination for him. Eddy stood up and looked at each of them, a part of him was actually pretty happy when they worried about him, like he was a member of their family and he was important, sure he already knew it but it was nice to be reminded every now and then.

"I'm all good so stop your worrying, didn't I tell you I was a mastermind when it came to my parents, I went straight to bed and that was it, didn't even get a smack on the wrist." Eddy lied, but he looked so confident and composed that he could say that to the cops and they would believe him, he had on many occasions. But these weren't the police, they were his best friends.

"Eddy, if you're so confident that you got away 'scot free' as you would say. I would recommend that you lift your shirt up and show us." Edd ordered, his face calculated with a hint of anger.

"Ya you should do that, just so we can make sure." Ed agreed, he stood over Eddy already implying that if he didn't do it, they would.

He sighed and lift up his shirt, showing the mark. "It's just a little bruise ok?" he quickly said, trying to get it out before they got too good of a look at it.

They both gasped and Ed's eyes were tearing up again. _"He's such a crybaby sometimes." _Eddy thought, shifting his eyes from Ed to Double-D and wondering what they would say. He was all for skipping school, but there were 2 tests today and he couldn't miss them, because then he'd have to retake it and he wasn't going to study any more than he already had. "Guys calm down, I just need you two too stay quiet and not tell anyone. Also to buy me lunch I forgot to get some." He was going to smile, but then he saw how hurt and angry Double-D looked and he looked to the side, trying to avoid the harsh gaze.

"You stay with one of us next time Eddy, do you hear me." Edd stated his voice firm and calm at the same time.

Eddy brushed the comment off with a small laugh. "Edd you need to be alone with your family sometimes ya'know." he shrugged, then saw the other kids coming from behind and tensed up slightly. "Ok guys, show time." He huffed as he got up and winced.

Eddy acted his butt off in his opinion, no one seemed suspicious at all, but then again he made sure that Ed and Double-D did most the talking he just sat back and made funny comments. When the bus came Ed tried to help him up but he smacked his hand away and gave him a chilling look, no one could know anything was wrong with him, if they did everything would go downhill. They would pity him, try and help him with his dad and mom, then he'd be taken away from all his friends and from everything he ever knew. He knew he couldn't deal with that it would be impossible for him. He'd rather take the pain.

Edd kept looking over his shoulder, always checking to make sure Eddy was ok. He wasn't, but he wouldn't let Sockhead figure it out. He tried to take in a deep breath but the pain was too much and he ended up letting out a yelp. Nazz looked at him questioningly and he gulped.

"What you do this time Eddy?" She giggled, lucky for Eddy she didn't think to seriously about it.

He shrugged and then pointed to his foot. "Stubbed my toe on the seat, I'm kind of surprised that the metal didn't break." He laughed, holding his foot in an act of pain.

When they got to the school Eddy slowly got up and walked between Kenzie and Nazz, it was hard not to be close to either of them seeing as everyone was bunched up, he decided to make fun of Kenzie a little before they got off, why not it was always fun to do it.

"Hey Kenzie, you should back off, you're a little to close I don't want you stealing from me." He smiled as he turned around, but it stopped as soon as he saw her. She was already pretty far away from him and she looked pretty uninterested in his joke. "Um you ok?" She then seemed to realize that he was actually there and looked at him (something that kind of ticked him off).

"Ya I'm good, fine in fact." The response was curt and a little bland; Eddy almost felt like she was trying to bore him to death or something, he didn't understand why she was like that today.

"You don't sound Ok. Actually you sound like you're really bored or mad or something like that, so I think you're kinda lying right now. You don't got to tell me but don't lie to me either." He knew he shouldn't be saying what he was, but he wasn't one for keeping things in all the time, that's why everyone said he had a big mouth and he was proud of it.

The line moved up and out of the bus before he could get an answer from her and when he got outside and looked for her, she was nowhere to be seen. So he decided to leave it and go inside, he couldn't deal with her mood at the moment. Instead he winced and wheezed all the way to first period.

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><p>Edd tapped his pencil against the old wooden desk as he tried to pay attention to what his 1st period teacher was saying, but his mind kept going back to Eddy's injury. It looked really bad; he wouldn't be surprised if Eddy ended up having a broken rib. He felt guilty for not being more direct when he told him not to go home, it didn't happen often but when Eddy's dad abused him, it always left a very bad mark. Edd remembered once when Eddy's father almost broke his arm and he had acted the whole day as if he was absolutely fine, he almost fooled Edd, but he was too smart for his tricks.<p>

When the bell rang he made sure to help Eddy out of the classroom. He got a glare and some murmured words, but he didn't resist all that much, which for Edd meant that he was ok with it. It wasn't until he got to his math class that full on panic settled into him, it wasn't quickly, it all started with a small thought 'would Eddy be fine?', then the tapping of his pencil on the desk again. The teacher scolded him on it and he blushed deeply when the other kids snickered. When class finally ended he watched Eddy intently until lunch when he stayed back to hold Eddy off.

"If the pain is as severe as the injury looks, I want you to go home right this instant." Edd advised, he couldn't make himself tell Eddy what to do, that never went well, but the anger that surged through him was making him think differently.

"Quit your gripping," Eddy waved off, turning Edd around and walked beside him. "You know I would rather be home eating popcorn and watching movies, but there's a problem there and you know it." Eddy continued to walk down the stairs and leaned on the railing, pointing off towards the cafeteria. "Now let's eat, and don't get your hat in a bunch." He looked up and expected the same patient looking Sockhead, but what he got was a very angry glare.

"Then don't go to your house, go to mine you know very well where the key is." His point was valid and of course he was right, as always, but Eddy wasn't having it. Just like every other time. He walked over to Eddy and faced him. "I don't want you to continue being in pain, please just go to my house and recover. Please."

He tried his best not to but Eddy smiled, his dramatic friend was still just that, a friend that cared enough about him to step away from his usual patient self. "I'm staying, ok." He said, but before Edd could give him that hurt look he reached out and gently grabbed his shoulder. "I'm not mushy like you so I'll try to say this without throwing up." He smirked and squeezed his shoulder a little harder; showing that it took some effort to actually say what he was going to. "I'm hurt ya, but as long as you and Ed are here to back me up. I'll always be strong enough to get past all the crud my parents or anyone put me through." He pat his shoulder again and walked off towards the cafeteria, not waiting to hear his answer, his shocked face was enough.

He really wasn't used to Eddy explaining his feeling like that, it hit him like a punch in the gut and it took him a pretty long time to realize that he was just standing there in the hallway with a face full of awe. Quickly he regained his composer and walked the opposite direction to the library; there he could think all this over. Before he could reach the learning center he saw a familiar face that wasn't all that familiar at all, it was Kevin walking with the boys from the field. Edd was in a pretty good mood after what Eddy had said so even though Kevin was the interest of Nazz's affection it didn't bother him as much as it would.

"Hello Kevin," He greeted, he expected the usual 'hi' back or even a head nod but he got nothing of the sort, the other boys stopped along with Kevin and stared at him for a moment, sizing him up, there wasn't much to look at though in the scrawny boy.

"We saw him at the field right? Wow he looks like he hasn't even looked at a field I'm surprised his legs hold him up right." Kyle jeered, shaking his head and laughing softly he didn't wear the glasses anymore and his eyes were focused on Edd's skinny legs.

Edd was ok with Kyle teasing him but the thing that tugged at his heart a little was the Kevin was also laughing, even if he looked like he didn't want to he still was, and it hurt all the same. Edd tried to side step them, nervously shaking and holding his arms close to him, he would have been successful at his endeavor if Cody had not stepped in-front of him.

"Whoa there chicken legs, trying to fly away now?" Cody smiled, receiving the bursts of laughter he was seeking, again Edd looked towards Kevin for support but he was laughing and looking down at the ground. "You should see this guy in first period, always answering the questions and sucking up to the teacher, like a good teachers pet, a teachers chicken."

"It's better than being some losers pet, always obeying his master's orders."

For a split second fear rippled through Edd's being, there was only one person who would show a whole group of people that kind of attitude. He looked behind him to let out a sigh of relief, it was Kenzie.

She stood with her hands on her hips and her fierce blue stare that was directed towards Kyle and his group. "Get out of here, and leave this guy alone, unlike you all he has a heart that you idiots are trying to hurt." She walked up to Edd and dared the guys to walk up to her; they all just laughed off and went away.

Edd watched them as they left, more accurate watched Kevin leave him behind and go off with his new friends, he didn't know what he felt at that moment he was too numb to try and feel anything it wasn't until Kenzie looked at him that he realized he was showing any kind of emotion at all.

"Edd," she said, her voice a surprised whisper. "You're crying."

That's when he felt the tears go down his face and drip onto the floor, that's when the emotions exploded out of him, because Kevin was gone and even though he had Nazz, even though he had picked on them before, Edd now knew that somehow it would be worse now, he knew what was going to happen and was so afraid and so terribly sad that all he could do was cry.

He wiped at his eyes quickly, hoping no one else saw any of them fall, and stared over at Kenzie his eyes pleading with her. "Y-you can't…..tell Eddy or Edd about this…" He sniffled and wiped his nose in an effort to keep himself from crying even more. "Please Kenzie."

What he was asking for was a lot, she had to keep a secret from his best friends and either one of them could read him like a book, especially Eddy who could smell a liar from a mile away and would tell you if you were. Then again she didn't care all that much, it was a little payback for letting in those strange girls into her house.

"Ya I can do that."

He gave her a weak smile and regained his composure yet again. This time readjusting his hat and taking very deep breaths. Kenzie helped him up and lead him into the library, they both sat down at the table by the history books and Edd looked through each one for the one that peaked his interest. Kenzie didn't watch him that closely, she felt like if she did he might bore her to death, who knew he spent his free time like this. If she wasn't so bored the words that slipped out of her mouth might not have and she mentally slapped herself for doing so.

"Hey Edd, who were those girls who came to my house?"

He looked up from his book, closing it so his finger was used as a book mark; he knew this would be a hard explanation. "They are, well how do I explain this? A difficult part of our lives," he picked the book back up and began to read again he was close to being engrossed in it when a hand came over the book.

"Um, when you say difficult, what you mean is?" Even though she looked calm Edd felt like if he didn't answer the question bad thing would happen.

"They are, or were girls who were interested in us for some time." He shrugged as if it was nothing, but Kenzie's stare seemed to turn into a glare, which meant he had to continue. "This is when we saw girls as 'icky' as Ed would say and we didn't return the interest, so there were many awkward meetings and kidnappings." He gulped both at the memories and the glare he was receiving from Kenzie.

"So what are you saying, you didn't like them when you were younger but now you might?"

Edd shook his head fiercely, holding his hands up in defense. "No way, they've been doing some unhealthy things and I personally could never like someone like that, I don't think Eddy or Ed could either."

Kenzie slowly shook her head and looked up. "Ok than, thanks for telling me." She had a small smile on her face now, it was a huge difference from the glare she previously had.

Edd was going to ask why, but again something told him not too. He decided to just pick his book up and read again. Kenzie from then on was ok with being bored, she felt as if she was a little lighter and she didn't know why, it couldn't have been because of what Edd said. Yet all of a sudden she felt like she had to talk to Eddy about anything. Kenzie gave a quick thanks to too Edd one more time, who gave her a confused look and walked out of the library, in search of a certain impatient, messy spiked hair boy.

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><p>When she finally saw him he was talking to Ed by the vending machine, when she gets closer she heard his 'grand scheme' to break the vending machine so they could get free snacks. "What are you two doing?"<p>

Eddy jumped a foot in the air before he looked back and lets out a long breath. "Whoaaa! Thought you were a teacher for a second." Eddy jacked a thumb back towards Ed. "I'm gonna get Ed over here to open this vending machine wanna help?" Even though what he was doing was bad his volume didn't go down as he spoke.

"Or you could just drop a couple quarters in and get a snack the right way." Kenzie crossed her arms and rolled her eyes, why was everything so hard with them?

Eddy took a dramatic step back like she had offended him in some way. "And waste my hard earned quarters on these dumb things, heck no!"

She had heard about his previous methods of getting quarters and she had to admit he was the only person she knew that was her age and could actually mean 'hard earned' when talking about cash. "Theirs frugal, then there's just plain cheap you know." She shook her head slowly, with a smirk, then looked over at Ed. "Why's he so cheap?"

Ed chuckled; his face looking like it had lost some kind of anxiousness to it. "Eddy doesn't like spending money, says it should all be spend on jawbreakers."

As if he used some kind of secret code Eddy took his hand out of the vending machine and looked up at them. "Did you say jawbreakers?" he looked from Kenzie to Ed and then around. "Where bur-head?"

Kenzie would have laughed her head off if she wasn't so curious. "Jawbreakers? You mean the small ones they aren't that good."

Eddy turned to her as if she had just said the sun wasn't bright. "No not those! The ones at the jawbreaker shop are the best. They're huge and succulent and absolutely perfect." He was looking off into space while Ed was literally drooling, then he gave her a weird look. "Scratch that, they're just good."

Kenzie gave a disgusted look over to Ed, "Um, I'm pretty sure nothing's that good, I mean not drool on the floor good at least."

Eddy reached over and brought Ed close to him, pointing over at her. "We got to get her a jawbreaker stat," He shook his head like she was a blind person who had never seen the sun set. "She's gone her whole life without one, its kinda sad don't'cha think Ed?"

She was tempted to hit him, but she thought against it in the nick of time. "Well then these jawbreakers better be what you're talking about and more." She reached into her wallet and pulled out a 5 dollar bill, Eddy looked at it as if she were holding a treasure map and he quickly tried to take it, she anticipated that and pulled her hand away before he could get it. "Ah ah ah, take me to this jawbreaker place and I'll buy us all one, it'll be my treat, how does that sound?"

Eddy's smiled reached from ear to ear while Ed jumped on his back in excitement. "Ed! What do you think you're doing, you're going to give me a hernia!" He tried to hold the boy up but it didn't last long and he ended up on the ground to Kenzies amusement. While she laughed Eddy glared at her and raised his hand as she helped him up. "This'll be worth it for the jawbreakers; I can't wait to get one." He rubbed his hands together and watched as she folded her money back up and put it in her wallet, the second she was done Eddy put his arm around her and pointed at her. "I owe ya for this one; whatever you want just name it and it's yours."

Kenzie tapped her chin, thinking of embarrassing things she could make Eddy do at the moment, as her eyes wandered she caught sight of the school dance poster on the wall; she blushed a little and before she could look away Eddy caught where she was starting. "You want to go to the school dance?" It was the fact that he didn't sound embarrassed to say it at all that made her want to hit him, so she did right in the shoulder. "Hey! What was that for?!" he jumped back, moving his arm from around her and holding his shoulder.

Kenzie's shoulder all of a sudden felt very cold, she turned around to face him and tried to think of a reason to be mad at him and fast. "School dances are dumb, I would never want to go to one of those things, can't believe you even asked."

Eddy was rubbing his sore shoulder and was about to say something when Ed picked him up, making sure to not touch his bruised ribs. "Now now Eddy don't be a sour puss if you were gonna ask her to the dance you got to do it better than that."

He quickly pushed himself off of Ed and fell on his butt, now he had a sore bottom and shoulder, along with bad ribs, he was a walking cast. "I wasn't even askin' you I just thought that, that's what you wanted, excuse me for trying to pay you back."

Kenzie sighed, already knowing that she was in the wrong this time, she reached out and pulled him up for the second time in a couple seconds. "Ya you're right, I'll find a better way for you to pay me back, I just don't know it yet."

Eddy dusted himself off and gently hit her on the shoulder. "Ya well just don't make me shoot myself out of a cannon, trust me I've done it before it's not all it's cracked up to be."

She burst out laughing then, when she finally finished she wiped a tear out of her eye. "You have to tell me that story."

He opened his mouth to reply but the bell rang and the kids started to flood the halls, standing still in the halls was always a bad idea. "I'll tell you on the way to the store, see ya."

She waved them off and walked over to her class, he was defiantly a handful, but then again she didn't know if she would like him if he wasn't.

When school ended and Edd had heard that they were going to the jawbreaker store he was so overjoyed that he wanted to go to Kenzie and bow down to her, it had been ages since they had gotten one, now that they couldn't scam anyone they no longer had the funds to pay for them and Kevin's jawbreaker parties were far and in-between. When they saw her, their giddiness increased, she was walking with Emma close behind and they smiled at the boys, each of them giving her hungry stares.

"Wow you guys look really excited." Emma said, she looked from one Ed to the other. "These things must be good."

"I'm tellin' ya, best candy's you'll ever taste."

"They're absolutely delicious, I assure you this."

"Really good!"

They walked towards the store and the boys told them about the tie Eddy had shot himself out of a cannon, they also told them about the first time they had ever had a jawbreaker.

"Well, let's see," Eddy started; he looked off trying to think that far back. "Well I've always lived here so my first one was when my brother got it for me, I can't remember when I got it with these two."

Edd shook his head a blank look on his face. "You never do remember important moments like that."

Eddy growled and shook his fist at him. "No I'm just not a pack rat when it comes to memories like you, how about you tell us the time then."

"Well it was when out first scam went right, after we convinced the kids that Ed could eat an entire fridge, then we used the money on the only kind of candy that was available at the time and it was the jawbreakers."

Ed butt in then, remembering the time as well. "Oh ya! Then we each got our own and went off towards the lake to eat them in peace right?"

Double-D smiled, "Ya it was a rarely quite a moment I'll say."

Emma looked at the lost faces of the boys; it was always so cool to see them remember something that meant so much to them, even to Eddy who had pretended as if he didn't know. "Must have been fun for you guys, huh?"

"Course It was Em, I mean look at them looking off into space like there was a satellite or something." Kenzie whistled sharply and they snapped back into attention.

"Ya well I can't wait to see your faces when you first try one of'em." He reached into Ed's pocket and pulled out a camera. "I'm gonna take a picture so we don't forget."

"More like so you don't forget."

"Shut up…."

They door opened with the ding of a bell, the clerk at the cashier smiled at his favorite customers and watched as they walked up to the white orbs of hard candy.

"I'm picking this one." Eddy said, picking up a black orb and twirling it on his middle finger. "Best flavor here."

Ed went with a pink one, remembering the sweet flavor, he couldn't wait for it. Double-D took the white one, he wasn't one for broadening his horizon with the tastes so he got the original flavors, Kenzie and Emma got the same one as well and when Kenzie paid the man and they walked off towards the cul-de-sac Eddy got the camera ready.

"Ok ready….set….eat!" He waited until the jawbreaker was in their mouth and the second the sweet taste of the orb sunk in their faces changed in utter shock, Kenzie's nearly fell out of her mouth and Emma almost tripped on her feet, momentarily forgetting how to walk. "BWAHAHAHA! Look at their faces guys!" He showed them the picture and everyone laughed with their cheeks full of the jawbreaker.

By the time they got to the cul-de-sac the orbs were gone and Eddy licked his fingers, savoring every last participle of the delicious candy, everyone began to walk back to their house but Kenzie stopped him, holding onto his shoulder and staring at him.

"I got a way you could pay me back actually." She said, with a bit of a mischievous tone.

He gulped dreading what he had said before, but he couldn't back down now it was already too late. "Ya what is it?"

She let the question hang in the air before she answered, letting him look scared for as long as she could. "I want you to take me to the dance, but you got to wear a suit."

Eddy blushed then; he stood on his tip-toes and gulped. So she had wanted him to take her he really didn't think she'd want someone like him to take someone like her. She reached and gently pushed him backwards, "Better make it a good dance for me Eddy, I'll be judging you on this one." Even though he couldn't tell, he could have sworn she was blushing a little and she hurried off with Emma by her side, leaving a wide eyed and red Eddy in the middle of the crossing. He needed a nice suit fast.

Kenzie blew out a breath as they walked; she hadn't noticed that Emma was staring her down. When she finally found out she groaned. "Emma not now,"

But she already had something to say, "So you'll be judging him huh? What's that supposed to mean hmmmm?" Another groan from Kenzie and a giggle from Emma.

Eddy finally walked back inside, his mind still a jumbled mess, his mom was sitting at the table and she looked over at him and tilted her head. "See look, even when you have a little skirmish with your dad you still have good days, I mean no one smiles like an idiot when they don't have a good day."

There she was again calling it something that it wasn't, calling abuse like that a little skirmish; he was done with her, his rage bubbled up until he had to talk. "Ya I had such a good day that I realized something, one day you're gonna come back here and you know what?" Eddy walked closer to his mom, he hated her but he didn't really know if he could ever admit that to her, a part of him understood why she was the way she was. She was just as scared as he was but didn't have the strength to leave, and that's why he could never respect her, how could she let this happen to him her own son before she would stick up for him? He stopped caring about that question a long time ago, he never usually talked to her but after seeing the Kankers something in him came to life and now he only needed to say this to her. "I won't be here, I'll be long gone and you'll have to deal with him all alone, just cause you weren't strong enough to help me, that's all fine with me but that means I'm not helping you, so when I leave I really hope you know that I won't be coming back."

His mom shrugged again and he stomped up the stairs, when he got back in the room he couldn't help himself from jumping up and down from the bed, he didn't know if it was out of excitement or anger but he did know one thing.

He was actually taking Kenzie to a dance.

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><p><strong>Eddy's a playa 8), HAHA! just kidding, remember though its been about two months now so they have gotten a lot closer than before. Oh and Kevin you ask, thats a part of the story that i had to wait a long time to put in and im happy ill be able too, this'll make things for not just the Ed's but everyone else mroe difficult. Seeing as the dance is coming up the other Ed's better find their dates ;3 Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Review for me and be sure to say weather you think Nazz will pick the new Kevin or try Edd out for size.**


	8. No dancing in football

**Whew, nice time to bring a chapter in, sorry it took me so long i had loads of finals to do and now that im done i get to finally sit down and write some stories!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ed Edd n Eddy characters. If i did i would be making statues of myself somewhere in the mountains for all to see.**

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><p><strong> No dancing in football<strong>

Ed chucked the ball past four hands that were hungrily grabbing for the football, it soared quickly with a spin on it that he had just acquired from training when it ended up in the hands of his teammate twenty yards away, he sprinted off and got the touchdown. There was a quick celebration and some slaps to Ed's back; it would have been a lot better if he would have accomplished that in a game instead of practice. Carson walked over to him and held his hand up for a congratulatory high-five, Ed reached for it and the second his hand was supposed to connect, it didn't, Carson had moved his hand at the last moment, Ed's hand went forward and he fell on the ground, the momentum had brought him on the warm turf, it felt kind of like a bed and Ed's sore body needed a rest. He was forcefully pulled up before he could fully sleep and he looked around to see that it was Derrick who had done it. He was the football defensive captain and a strict one at that, it had been him and Carson who had taught him how to play when he first got there.

"Ok everyone, now that Ed's done napping we can get out of here before we get anymore slackers." Even though Derrick sounded mean, his words did not sound harsh; they were just stern and said with authority.

Ed smiled sheepishly at him and removed his helmet, his nerves melting at the sight of the taller senior who always had some kind of glare to him, and right now that glare was pointed straight at him. "So Ed, you've been doing pretty well in practice for a while as our quarterback," Ed nodded slowly, not catching up at all. Derrick was expecting a smile but when he didn't get one he continued. "The football games are about to start up and our first one is on the day of the dance, id like you to play for us, if you want."

That's when he got the smile he was looking for, after weeks of hard training every day with private lessons he'd finally get his chance to see if he was worth it, even though apart of him was scared, the part that was excited shut that one up. "Really?! Playing for you guys would be sooooo cool!"

Derrick gently hit him on the back and showed him a small smile. "You've earned it Ed; I've seen how hard you've been working, it's really good."

Carson stepped in then, holding his hands up in the air. "Whoa there, the games on the day of the dance right? Ya he can't go, he's got a date." Ed looked up at him with utter shock, he had a date? When did that happen?

"No I do-mph!" His mouth was covered by the huge hand of Carson; there was no way he could get a word in now.

Derrick laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Aw looks like the freshman already has himself a girlfriend, ok defiantly next game then Ed, I expect you at your best two weeks from now."

When he had walked away Carson let go of Ed, he was pouting by this point and he looked like he might cry any second, Carson put his hands up in defense and explained himself. "Freshy, there's no way you can miss your first dance because of a dumb football game that will only matter for the seniors and their pride, anyways I'm sure a stud like you will get a girl to go with you." He snickered at that but it quickly faded when he saw Ed's blank face.

"I don't know who to ask, I don't even know how to ask." He had heard from an excited Eddy that he was planning on going to the dance with Kenzie, but it had been her who had initially asked him, so wouldn't that mean a girl had to ask the boy? But so many guys had already asked girls to the dance, which was it? It was a confusing thought that left him with a hurt brain.

Carson stroked the side of his beard, he pointed off towards the distance but in the vicinity of the school. "Don't you hang out with Kenzie and Emma a lot? Go ask one of them."

A tingling sensation went through him when he mentioned Emma's name, he didn't know why. It was a weird feeling that he had never experienced before, even when Nazz was around so many years ago. "I don't think I can ask…it's scary." He did feel a twinge of fear that came along with the other feeling, it was uncomfortable and he desperately wanted to change the topic.

Carson shook his head and laughed more. "It's ok kid, let me see what I can do." He walked off, Ed was still processing what he had said, and ran after to chase him but by the time he had ran over, it was too late to get him.

He didn't know what to do, so he ran off towards Double-D's house, his mind full of things to come and scared butterfly's in his stomach, but he couldn't remember when he had eaten any butterflies.

"The heck is this!" Eddy slammed his hand on top of his math homework, angrily shaking the table. "This X stuff is impossible!"

Edd looked over his shoulder, then pointed to the equation that Eddy had made. "You did it right, why are you so angry?"

Eddy turned the page over to reveal another four questions on the back of the page. "I know it, there's just too much of it." He growled out, angrily staring at the paper.

Edd rolled his eyes at his friend's laziness, he had finished his homework way before Eddy had, but he was on the last couple of questions so Edd continued to read his book, that is until Ed burst through the door, and tackled him to the ground, rather harshly if Edd could add.

"Big trouble guys!" He yelled, practically in Edd's ear, they rang for only a moment before he gently nudged Ed.

"Um…..personal space please…..I can't seem to….breath." Double-D tried his best to squeeze out from under giant boy but he couldn't move until Ed leapt up, then he took a huge gasp of air, comforted by the oxygen that filled his lungs.

"What's goin' on Ed?" Eddy popped up from behind him and was now in the middle of Ed and Double-D, but he heard a quick snap and a finger was pointed towards his homework, a stern look on Edd's face.

"Eddy, complete your homework before you begin to talk." Eddy opened his mouth, but another stern finger pointed towards his homework and he sulkily walked back, mumbling incoherent words under his breath that Edd didn't want to hear.

Ed, who had been waiting patiently enough exploded again, this time running around in circles. "Bad things guys bad things!"

Double-D knew very well never to interrupt one of Ed's rants because they always ended up with him getting hurt, so instead he sat down patiently and waited for Ed to tire himself out like a little kid who had just gotten done with a temper tantrum. "So what's troubling you Ed?"

By now Eddy had finished his homework and was leaning on his arms, watching Ed. "Wow you see how long he ran? Might need to put him in track next."

Edd didn't find the joke amusing, their friend was worried and Eddy was making fun of him, he gave a quick glare to him and walked over to Ed who was breathing heavily on the floor. "Will you explain to us what's happened to you, please Ed?"

He took in a couple more breathes before he answered, trying to find the way to explain it without freaking out. "Carson wants to help me ask Emma to the dance," He gulped, but his throat was dry and he felt like he had swallowed sand.

Eddy started to laugh like crazy; while Edd seemed to turn red.

"Well that's great isn't it?" Double-D said over Eddy's laughter.

Ed shook his head frantically, feeling a little woozy after he was done. "Girls are icky Double-D!"

He rolled his eyes at that comment. "Come now, you are old enough to know that girls do not have cooties, I've told you this multiple times."

Eddy by now was wiping tears out of his eyes, and sniffed like he'd been crying. "Oh that was good, well lumpy now you're about to get yourself a date, better be ready for all it comes with."

Edd turned towards Eddy, a confused look on his face. When had he become the lady expert in the group? "What does 'it' come with Eddy?"

Eddy let out an exasperated breath, rolling his eyes at his friend's ignorance, something that mildly annoyed Edd. "You got to talk about groups, clothes, matching, girly stuff, it's horrible." These were just a small list of the things he was doing with Kenzie, she was like a dictator when it came to the dance, always making sure it was her way or the highway and the highway meant Eddy was going to the dance alone.

Ed listened intently, thinking that something they would say would make the weird feeling go away or at least help him; he was still scared to ask her to any kind of dance when they had finished their discussion. Eddy told him that it would be alright while Double-D said that he shouldn't worry seeing as there will be a lot of people helping him ask and that at least he's the one asking instead of Emma asking him, which ticked Eddy off and sent him on a rant.

"Hey! To be fair I actually did ask her first, it just wasn't the right way."

Edd smiled, it's one that Eddy knew well, Edd already knew he'd won this battle. "Mhm, I believe you Eddy."

Eddy grit his teeth and pointed at Edd, "Ok Mr. Know-it-all, why don't you go out and see how it is to ask a girl?!" The second he said that he knew it was wrong, Edd's face changed from entertained to morbid, he looked like he was about to cry.

"….I really don't have anyone to ask." She was out of the question, the girl he constantly thought about, the girl he feigned for, was nothing but a dream that he could never live.

Eddy groaned, he knew it would take extra energy and work to get his moody friend back up to spirits, but he was the one who made him sad, so he had to fix it. He slowly walked by Edd and sat down next to him, patting his shoulder hard enough to get his attention, but soft enough to not hurt him. "We'll get you a date if you really want one," He smiled at his friend's reaction, which was a blush and a slight squeak. He was expecting him to say something comforting, but Eddy couldn't always do that, it was too much emotion for someone like him. So instead he decided to just mess with him and get him back to high hopes like that, in his own kind of way.

Edd practically jumped up, still blushing and walked off towards the kitchen, trying to look as normal as possible, but he was shaking as he walked. "Instead of doing something as embarrassing as that, why don't we just have a quick bite before we go to bed."

Ed was happy with the idea of eating but the conversation they were having interested him a little more. "Ya Double-D, why don't we get you someone, that way Eddy and me won't feel lonely while we're at the dance." His previous fear was replaced with hope at the chance to have all his friends dancing with him.

Edd suddenly noticed that it was starting to get a little hot under his hat, he looked over at Eddy for some kind of help but he was just smirking at him, the same smirk that meant he had won. Edd sighed, giving in was the only option he had left, he secretly bid his self-respect a dutifully farewell and sat down on the table. "Ok Eddy, you win this time. What kind of plan do you have for me?"

Eddy looked at him, surprised that it had been that easy to get him this time. Then scratched the back of his head. "Sorry Sock-head this aint my line of expertise, we'll ask Kenzie tomorrow and see what happens then."

Edd felt like ripping his hair out, "I thought you said that you were the expert when it came to advances towards the opposite gender."

"…When the heck did I saw that?" Eddy tilted his head slightly and tried to think back. "I think you're losing it, I never said I was any kind of expert with girls, I just know what I'm talkin' about."

Edd slapped his hand over his head, "That would mean you were at least knowledgeable on it,"

Eddy scratched the back of his head again; his pride was keeping him from saying anything else, because he was an expert, just not a good one.

Edd decided to save face and yawned, saying in a way that it was ready to go to bed. "Anyone else feeling a little sluggish?" he asked, knowing what the answers would be.

They took no time getting to bed, Edd could hear them stirring in their sleep, probably excited for the upcoming dance, he was glad for them, but the pit in his stomach left him having mixed feelings about it. He didn't want to take a girl to the dance; he would be perfectly fine going by himself and sitting on the sidelines. He knew that sounded sad but it was ok with him, as long as he didn't have to take responsibility for a girl that he probably wouldn't even know that well. The embarrassment of it all was bad enough to keep him awake longer than needed, but when sleep came he found himself having a very good dream about the wrong person.

Ed woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day. That is until he remembered that he had to ask a girl to the dance. His nerves were shot as he got ready for the day; everything seemed to be going in fast motion, even in class. One second he was thinking about Emma and the next the bell rang and he was being rushed out of the class along with his fellow students. It wasn't until after practice that his day stopped becoming a blur. Carson came up to him, with a big smile on his face.

"So me and a couple other guys are going to the library to set up the plan for you, that means you have to come with, get dressed quick."

He gulped and when he got in the locker room and splashed water on his face decided that he had a chance to run, get out while he still could, but then what would the seniors do if he did? Go on with the plan anyways? Send her fake I love you notes? The possibilities were endless and only got more and more embarrassing, this seemed to be the least out of all of them so he walked in the library and sat down with the other people in the meeting. There were 5 people who were sitting down when he came, 3 were seniors while the other 2 where juniors, and all of them were from the football team.

"So what we got to do to make him ask her?" One of the juniors asked, a kid who wore a cap that was tilted to the side and a baggy shirt.

"No, he has to ask her like he doesn't even want her to go with him, that way she feels like he doesn't care."

"How would that help?" Carson asked, turning over to the other senior in the group, a muscular one that didn't really look like he cared all that much.

He shrugged in a defiant manner, "Don't know, just trying to throw something out there."

Carson gave him a slightly angry expression. "Well keep it to yourself if it isn't useful, this kid needs to go to a dance and I'm the one who's going to make sure he does."

It wasn't until he said that, that Ed felt a little grateful that he had met Carson. It was like he was a student to a mentor that truly wanted to help. Ed smiled at him and Carson just rolled his eyes.

"Don't think about it Ed, I'm just helping because I feel sorry for you." But he was holding back a smile and Ed knew he was lying.

"I want a big banner in her class after school, and um I want everyone to be there and throw streamers?" Ed finally spoke up, his voice just past a whisper, somehow Carson was giving him a boost of confidence that he didn't know he had.

Carson hit him across the back, laughing along with the other guys; it was embarrassing but not too much. "Well you heard the boss, let's get cracking." They then discussed the different things they would do and how they would end up doing them, Ed sat there and looked in awe as they debated, because all this was for him, everything they talked about was about him and no one else, he just wasn't used to that outside of his friendship with Eddy and Double-D, heck he wasn't even used to it in his own home.

"Wait a sec, you went and planned all this without us?!" He got an earful from Eddy once he explained to them what he was going to do; all he could do was give an apologetic smile.

"They got to me first Eddy; it was hard to say no."

Double-D stepped in before Eddy could hit him. "I think it's fantastic that Ed was able to bond with his fellow football players." He smiled at Ed who got the reassurance he was seeking.

Eddy was pouting but stayed calm. "Ya fine, whatever he gets to ask her with his football friends while we sit back and watch it all happen."

Double-D pat Eddy's shoulder, he understood why he was mad; it was like missing your kids first words. It hurt just a little. "We'll be there if he wants us." He looked over at Ed, and he shook his head up and down, of course he'd let them come; they could come wherever he went.

Eddy pushed Edd away and smiled at the tallest of the Ed's. "Well than good luck askin' her you're gonna need it."

His words weren't meant to discourage, only to slightly mess with him, and he knew it, so he gave him a sloppy salute like a soldier would. "Ill do my best Eddy!"

The next day everyone's nerves seemed to be on edge. For Eddy, it was having to endure the fact that he hadn't told Kenzie that Ed was going to ask Emma, and he knew she would be angry about that. Double-D was nervous for Ed but also himself, who were his friends trying to pair him up with for the dance? And lastly Ed who was the most scared out of them all, today was the day, and he wished that time would slow down and just hold him in that spot forever.

Throughout his classes he repeatedly had to wipe his hands on his pants because they got too sweaty, he wasn't even paying attention and was constantly yelled at by his teachers. Eddy and Edd had both told him to calm down but he just couldn't, and when he walked into Mr. Rodgers class he was practically shaking and was a lot paler than usual. Rodgers kept teaching class but his eyes would wander off to Ed every now and again, always making him worry a little more about Ed. The bell rang and Eddy practically jumped over the desks to get to him.

"You better not be too scared and mess this up!" He slapped Ed across the head, his own way of getting the point across. "I don't want to go to this thing all alone with Kenzie, she's crazy!"

Ed gulped and looked from one friend to the other before Mr. Rodgers walked over, laughing at the kids. "So what are you guys scared about?"

Ed kept quiet while Eddy decided to tell. "He's trying to ask this girl to the dance, and he's chickening out!"

The teacher scratched his head over how blunt the young boy was, girls were never a strong suit for the teacher. He was lucky he had met his wife when he did or he would have ended up single for the rest of his life, then again having a wife gave him some extra knowledge about girls that the other boys probably didn't have.

"Well I think that if you really want to ask her Ed, than you should go for it and be sure to give her a big kiss afterwards." He winked trying to tell him that it was a joke but when the boy turned white as a ghost he realized that he had only made it worse than it was.

"I was just joking Ed, is he going to faint!?" He said quickly, looking from Edd to Eddy.

"It's all ok Ed; you don't actually have to kiss her." Edd calmed him, patting him on the back with one hand and holding him up by the torso with his other.

Eddy snickered, trying to hold himself back from bursting out laughing, he knew if he did that than he really would get in trouble by Double-D. He opened the door, they had spent too much time in there. "Come on slow pokes. Thanks for the help Mr. Rodgers you really made this much easier." He rolled his eyes to show his sarcasm, but he was still smiling.

The teacher just gave them a small wave and acted as if he wasn't as embarrassed as he felt inside. Eddy put his hands behind his head and let out a long breath, he could practically feel the tension from both his friends. He could read both of them like books, and they were ticking time bombs on the verge of blowing up at any given sign. There was no way he could lighten the mood like the many times before. He would have to put his trust in them, it didn't make him as scared as he thought it would. He trusted the knucklehead and the smart allec that walked beside him, the only problem was did he really trust Kenzie not to beat him up?

He watched Ed again throughout the class, making sure he wasn't going to bail out. This would have been the perfect time for him to use those sleeping darts that he and Edd made when they were younger ( It's ok it was made for the rats in the junkyard.)

Lunch was madness for Double-D, he already had a stressed induced headache but the constant noise of the overcrowded lunchroom was absolutely maddening. He considered going to the library, but seeing Eddy sweat while Kenize sat next to him was going to be the highlight of his day, he could hide a black and blue bruise like a professional but when it came to keeping a secret, he couldn't keep them to save his life.

"I don't know…" Eddy mumbled, staring off into space, it wasn't the fact that he had to keep a secret, it was the fact that he knew not telling her meant that she would end up kicking his butt in the future, he was deciding whether or not to just tell her and get the pain over with, until she started making fun of him.

"I didn't even ask a question." She waved her hand in-front of his face and smiled. "Anyone up there today or did they decide to take a break?"

Eddy slapped her hand away and waved his own around. "Hey hey hey!" She laughed at the pout he was putting on, that's when Eddy decided that he would be the one to get the last laugh. "Hey, so what's the theme of this dumb dance?" Eddy snatched one of her fries, usually she might have killed him for that, but this time she was too busy thinking about the dance.

She smacked is hand when he reached for another one. "If the dance is so dumb you don't have to go," She glared at him but he looked away in the other direction. "Anyways, since it's so close to thanksgiving I don't think there is a theme to it."

Eddy looked at her with an eyebrow raised high. "Aren't you the dance expert?" He asked; no sign of any sarcasm. "You should know if there's a theme or not."

Kenzie gave him a slightly angry look, but Eddy was able to hold her stare, something not a lot of people could do. She just ended up laughing at the end and that made Eddy smirk slightly, even if he was trying to look as intimidating as possible.

"Well let's find out before you show up in a merman costume." She looked him up and it kind of made him feel uncomfortable. "Yup, you defiantly would make the worst merman ever."

Eddy scoffed at her, trying to flex through his shirt. "If the theme was under the sea, than I would come with my bulging muscles and take all the dates away!"

Kenzie snorted and gave him her 'are you serious' look. "Well than Macho man, I guess you could go off and get whatever date you want, so why should I stop you?"

Eddy took a handful of fries and then winked at her. "Cause the other dates are horrible compared to you." He put the whole handful in his mouth and began to chew as if he had said nothing special at all, typical Eddy style.

Kenzie tried her best not to blush, but she did, and the best way she could hide it was look off towards the side. Just to see Allen staring straight at her.

"You all good?" He asked, pointing at her face and looking worried. "Looks like you have a little fever."

Kenzie pushed him off of the table; he fell with a soft thump, the backpack taking most of the fall. If there was a way to get everyone's attention at the table, that was it. Edd peaked from the side and got a good look at her reddening face.

"It does seem as if you have a slight fever."

"Oh, be careful Kenzie, my baby sister got a fever once and she got Double-D sick after that."

"…Lets not speak of that moment."

"How are you gonna get a fever right before the dance?" Eddy commented, trying to look past Kenzies hands. "You tryin' too ditch me?" The all-knowing smirk came next and Kenzie tried to do to him what she did to Allen.

She sighed, this was a losing battle from both ends; even someone as stubborn as her knew that. The only thing she could do now was just munch madly on her fries, which is exactly what happened.

Eddy laughed and high fived Allen, they had both successfully found a way to tick her off so much that she didn't even try. "Aw don't get mad we were just messin' around you know that." Eddy smiled, but when Kenzie didn't give him any sign of recognition he feared the worse. "….Right?"

She said nothing, and it made Eddy feel a little sick. He knew he had doom looming in his future. Allen smiled and pat Eddy on the back. "Sorry, you're done for though, last time I saw that look I ended up locked in a meat freezer." Eddy quickly looked from him to a now smiling Kenzie who finished off eating her fries.

Game set and match.

Ed was able to lose himself in the conversations at the lunch table, he had talked to Jonny about how plank seemed to be growing a mustache, there were now little black hairs drawn onto his upper lip, and how Rolf had tried to weave a sweater for his nana as an official appreciation day celebration, or at least that's what everyone got out of what he said, and lastly he was able to joke around with Ed and Eddy about old times and different sets of scams. It was a good relaxer for him, so when sixth period ended and he walked into the class with all his football friends he didn't understand how he still felt so scared. He waited, one of the football players had asked Emma to come to the classroom after school and she was probably on her way right now.

Eddy, who had walked in with Double-D, wrapped his arm around Ed's shoulder and Double-D stood next to him for support. When she walked in and saw the banner above them that read 'Will you go to homecoming with me' and all the players yelling 'surprise!' because they couldn't think of anything else to say, she did something that Ed hadn't really wanted her to do, or expected. She laughed. The kind of laugh where you put your hands on your hips because you're bending over and laughing so hard that you feel like you're tired. Ed felt like he should cry, but he was too stunned to even move, he just stood there frozen like everyone else. She started to walk towards him, her face red from laughing and her eyes wet, every step she took made Ed's stomach tighter and tighter until she was right in-front of him, closer than a lot of people had ever been.

"So you want to go to the dance with me?" Her hands were behind her back and she got just a centimeter closer to him, it was then that he realized that he himself had not actually asked her, there had been a banner sure, players screaming at her that he wanted to go with her, but he hadn't asked her, and that's all she wanted.

He gulped, for the first time since he could remember he blushed and almost spaced out completely, but he was able to get the words out. "I….want you….to go…..with me."

"Really?" She wore a small smile, and was leaning on her heals like she was considering it.

Ed shook his head feverishly. "R-really!"

She smiled, her face was red just like Kenzie's had been and Ed wondered if there was a fever spreading around school. She hugged him tightly then, their faces were touching and Ed could feel the heat from both their bodies, if anything it just made him blush even more.

"Then yes ill go with you."

And for some reason a weird L word seemed to come to mind, but he was too lost in the hug to get the whole word to come together.

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><p><strong>Writing a story right after finals is the best stress helper ever! My brain hurt after finals but now that they're done i feel like i could touch the clouds...and sock angels. Haha Adventure time i even make references to you in my Ed Edd n Eddy storys. Im so glad that you guys were able to read this one, my break hasnt started just yet but when it does i might be able to make a special christmas special story for you guys, oh im so excited for it!<strong>


	9. In the company of those who care

**Well how ya doing? Oh me well i just made another chapter because im awesome and love you guys too much to keep you waiting for this dance! i've lead into it for too long now so here it is just for you guys, enjoy it and reciew!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the shows characters. Id take the world and dribble it like a basketball if i did.**

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><p><strong>In the company of those who care<strong>

"And don't forget, after school is the school dance! If someone tries to park their car in the school again you're getting expelled. Yes that means you Jared!"

Eddy would have burst out laughing if it wasn't the fact that Mrs. Snider was staring daggers at him, she expected him to do it, so in spite he just sat there looking patient. He had won that round.

"Well with all jokes aside, there's going to be a lab tomorrow. I expect everyone bright eyed and bushy tailed, and get ready to write notes." She actually sounded excited, what kind of sick teacher was this?

As they were getting ready to leave she called Eddy over to talk to her. "So, I hear you're taking my granddaughter to the dance." She was glaring at him, more than just a teacher could, but he was too shocked to even talk. "You better be careful with her, I don't want to say what I'll do if you don't."

Eddy just stared at her, this women, this evil teacher, was related to Kenzie. What kind of sick prank was fate pulling on him? How could this happen to him! All he could do then was yell into the sky, he got to his knees and held his arms up. "Whyyyyyyyy!" When he walked out of the class, he not only had the realization that Kenzie was related to his worst enemy, he also had detention for next week.

She won the match.

He walked away with his friends but he couldn't even pay attention to them, he wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the detention slip, then threw it into the garbage. "This is crazy…"

Edd looked at him, appalled at what he had done. "Eddy! You need that for your detention, how could you do something like that?"

Eddy looked at him like he was missing something that was obvious. "That doesn't matter Double-D! Kenzie is related to that monster, how am I supposed to dance with her?"

"Just because her grandmother is a teacher you don't very much care for doesn't mean it has to hinder your relationship with Kenzie." Edd squeezed past someone in the hallway, he thought he heard the word 'nerd' whispered by one of them, but he was too busy trying to get to Eddy.

"What if she likes science Double-D?" Eddy said, running his hands through his hair. "I can't dance with someone who likes science!"

Edd failed to realize how a particular preference in a subject changed your personality. "It will be fine Eddy," He sighed, this conversation was going nowhere, Eddy was in his own little world. "Why don't you just ask her, I don't think that Kenzie would lie to you about anything."

Eddy considered it, then shook his head. "I like that idea Sock-head." He looked at him and smiled. "How do you come up with these?"

Edd smiled and laughed. "It's a gift Eddy."

Ed, who had been listening the whole time finally burst into the scene. "Can I have a gift too!?" He got too close to Edd and he had to gently push him to the side to get some breathing space.

"Um, you will over time Ed, after all of our tutoring sessions are done." He gave a quick look at Eddy on the other side of him. "Speaking of which how did your test go in math?"

Eddy dug through his backpack quickly before he pulled the paper out; it was a solid A-. "Bam! This couldn't get any better!"

Edd pointed at his paper then smiled. "Actually it could be better, you could have gotten an A plus."

Eddy looked at him with a blank face. "Hey an A is an A; at least it's not a B+ like Ed." He slapped Ed's shoulder. "It's ok Lumpy better luck next time."

Edd pinched his chin and shook his head. "It's ok; we'll just have to study a little more to bump up those grades of yours."

Eddy groaned and Ed smiled, more time with his friends. "Thanks Double-D!"

Eddy looked at the ground. "Yup, great, more studying." There was more sarcasm in his voice than sadness so Edd was ok with it.

Lunch was pretty entertaining for Eddy; he had never seen Double-D so red before. Kenzie had told him that she found a date for him and immediately he dropped his fork and just stared out into space like his brain had completely turned off, then went red and cleared his throat.

"U-um well, who is the fine lady I've been paired with?"

Kenzie gave a good hearted smile that only made rejecting her even harder. "Lindsey, she's so nice, and she's super smart, she gets straight A's in our math class." Kenzie said with enthusiasm, she seemed pretty excited. "The prettiest girl in glasses I've ever seen, oh I'm so good at match making!"

Edd was still red, but it lessened, his date didn't sound very bad. "Ok, well thank you very much for helping me out." He felt he had the obligation to thank her.

Kenzie waved it off like it was nothing. "Don't mention it, if this works ill just make match making my job."

Even through the conversation Eddy just couldn't connect that she was related to Snider, it was so weird; he had to hear it from her.

Eddy waited forever to go and see Kenzie without there being anyone else; he thought that if she hadn't told anyone about Mrs. Snider already then she must have wanted to keep it a secret. That was the Edd voice talking to him, in a pretty stern way too. He only got her to talk to him alone after school, when he had caught up to her while she was leaving.

"Hey, wait up Kenzie I got something to ask." He had been running around school all day to try and find her.

She stopped and turned around. "Ew, you're all sweaty, but as long as you don't touch me you can say whatever's on your mind."

He smiled and bent down to grab his knees. "Well I wanted to ask you about your grandma, I got threatened by her about you."

She stopped, looked around and then looked at him angrily. Eddy had to note this all happened in about three seconds. "You haven't told anyone I'm related to her have you?"

Eddy shook his head, automatically straitening up, she looked like she was going to kill him.

She nodded, looking like she approved of what he said, at least she trusted him. "Good, not that I don't love my grandmother, but she doesn't exactly have the best record here."

Eddy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "No definitely not!" He was going to add something to that but the stare Kenzie was sending him made him close his trap.

"I swear if I hear you say anything bad about Snider I might just have to kill you."

Eddy thought about it for a second, would he crack one more joke before he died. Or maybe just let it go for now, being patient wasn't his thing, but then again he did like to live so he held it off, saving the information for another time. "So does that mean your last name is Snider, cause if it is I might just have to stop talking to you."

She rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated breath. "No, her last name is different than mine; mines actually Smith."

"Kenzie Smith," Eddy tested the waters with her name, he liked the sound of it. "It's pretty good, nothin' special, but good enough."

She smiled, somehow hearing him say that made her feel better. "Well what's yours, seeing as mines only ok yours must be absolutely perfect."

Eddy looked towards the ground, when everyone had found out about his middle name it had been impossible for him to escape the mockery, he had even revealed Edd's just to make it stop. Would he do it again, probably, would he feel like a jerk, heck ya, Eddy could take mockery a lot better than Double-D. Telling Kenzie his last name meant that he trusted her enough not to laugh, not to bully him and make him relive those horrible days. He wasn't sure if he did but it didn't matter. "McGee." Short and to the point, he wouldn't have had it any other way.

She didn't say anything for a minute and Eddy was about to just walk away, but when she did it made him glad that he hadn't. "Nice, so you have two capital letters in your last name, I kinda like that. Mind if I steal it as a possible last name." She winked at him and walked off towards her house. That's when it happened. Eddy felt some weird sensation and there was a word that came to mind, he just didn't know how to say it, never had used it before, never thought he would so it didn't register to him.

He walked the other way, had to get ready for the dance and try not to let this feeling spread.

Edd on the other hand was standing there, looking at himself in the mirror and washing his face. He could definitely get dressed up, he had a lot of suits and other things that made him look fancy, but he had never gone to a dance, his dad had never really talked to him about interacting with girls. Eddy had been there for him when he needed advice like that, it made him feel a little more confident that Eddy and Ed would be there to help him while he was there. Though the last dance that they had been in Edd had been the one to get a dance with Nazz. Eighth grade had a lot less pressure than now. Thinking of her made Edd wonder who she was going with, which lucky guy had the confidence to ask her out, he could make a guess.

* * *

><p>Nazz already had her dress on, a long light blue one with shoulder straps that used to be her mom's; it still sparkled and looked absolutely beautiful. That's why she had picked it of course, but it really wasn't to impress her date, it was more of a doing it just to do it kind of thing. It took a while before her date rang the doorbell and she walked towards the door, opening it and faking a smile that was a lot brighter than she felt.<p>

"Hi Rolf, how are you?" It wasn't like she wasn't happy to see him, but she just didn't expect to see him in this kind of condition.

Rolf was one of the people that she constantly was able to hang out with. There weren't a lot of them now. After meeting with the Lumper's Rolf had actually gone straight into school, she often found him in the library reading a book (it was always upside down for some reason) he didn't talk to many people anymore, choosing to try and become a scholar before social time. She respected that, others from the cul-de-sac talked to him but he mostly talked to her because she mostly came to talk, he was the weird older brother she never had.

"Hello go-go Nazz girl." He was in a blue suit with a red tie, the suit looked a little tight on him but wasn't too bad. It looked like something only Rolf would wear, more of a colonial thing.

"Ok let's go then," Again, her voice was a little more chipper than she felt.

While they walked and talked Nazz's mind wasn't really in the conversation. She was thinking about how it had happened like this.

She had actually been asked by a lot of guys, she didn't want to sound vain but she had counted at least five. She had told each that she would consider it, while in reality she was waiting for someone else to ask. She hadn't seen him in a long time actually; Kevin had been missing in action for a while. She guessed he was hanging out with the Lemon Brook kids, she had seen him before talking with them and when she had decided to come in and talk they all decided to take her in, but she didn't really like the crowed that Kevin had decided to hang with. Each always looking at her as if she was just another face and not an actual person, each always flirting with her and trying in every way to get with her but the only one she was interested in was acting completely different than he had before. She knew if she could just get him alone than she could talk some sense into him but every time she tried he always told her everything was 'fine' that she didn't have to worry because he knew what he was doing. He had become so closed off to the past, maybe because he knew if he hung out with them than that meant he would lose the people he had come to hang out with now. Or maybe he regretted seeing them, being reminded of the past always made him feel like he was giving it up, he must have thought that the future would be better than the past was.

She wasn't going to give up on him though, she was definitely angry with him, but she cared enough for him to at least keep trying. He was too important to her for her to just stop. But there was a rift between then that only got wider every passing moment. The only person that could clear her mind was also someone who had disappeared. Edd hadn't even looked at her for the longest time, the second class ended he was already up and ready, leaving with Eddy and Ed. She hadn't even tried to talk to him; she felt like he was purposefully ignoring her and it irritated and hurt her at the same time. She didn't understand why he was so dead set on not seeing her anymore; she hated not being able to talk to Edd. If there was one person from the cul-de-sac that Nazz knew she couldn't go without it was Edd, he was so knowledgeable and kept everyone together in his own patient way, he was the Ed that everyone could talk to. She couldn't let him slip through her fingers; she'd find a way to talk to him soon and get to know about this silent treatment.

"Hey Rolf are you going to actually dance?" This was a question that she should have asked a long time before but hadn't thought of it, she just expected everyone to want to dance, but Rolf was always the exception to most rules.

Rolf looked at her, his eyebrows furrowed. "You mean the hokey pokey bodily movements that confuse Rolf?" He looked at her and then shook his head. "Probably not, Rolf would like to get done knitting Nanas fur coat for the upcoming winter."

Nazz smiled, she should have expected that. It was weird because it didn't really bother her that her first dance would probably not be a dance at all. Not like she had anyone she wanted to dance with anyways. "Want some help?"

* * *

><p>"Ed hurry up or I'm leaving your butt here!" Eddy impatiently banged on his door again, not caring if his parents where home or not, they didn't like each other anyways.<p>

Ed quickly rushed down the stairs, gave his sister a quick peck on the cheek and was out the door. Double-D had made Ed change into something more formal for the dance, so he had borrowed his dads green vest and a nice black tie, he had black dress pants on and black slacks, he felt a little too fancy for his liking but Double-D and Eddy were basically wearing the same thing. Eddy had a grey vest on with no tie and gray dress pants with black slacks, while Edd had gone the traditional way and was wearing a nice opened suit with a neatly tucked in tie.

Eddy smiled at him and pointed at his clothes. "Nice look lumpy, it's weird to see you looking all fancy like." He then gestured to himself and smiled. "And look at me actually combing my hair for this, wow we do so much for a couple of girls."

Edd smiled at that and they started walking. He still felt very scared, but kept it to himself. He was determined to have a good night with whoever it was that he ended up with. "I think you both look rather dashing, these girls must have left quite an impression on you." Eddy scratched his cheek and looked down and Ed turned pink instantly. Edd couldn't have asked for a better answer from both of them.

"Just wait, I saw that Lindsey girl," He wolf whistled and smirked. "Quite the looker, she might just leave an impression on you."

Edd saw something like this happening, but still couldn't hide the blush that came to his face; he didn't try to hide it this time. "Do you think she's someone id like?" It was like he was asking if he should have a crush on this girl.

Eddy shrugged and brushed off something that was hanging off of his undershirt. "No idea, you'll have to go and see, she's pretty smart, just talk to her about stuff you like I guess." Another shrug wasn't like he knew what he was doing.

Edd wrapped his head around the idea before Ed talked. "It'll be fun Double-D! Don't think too much about it, were supposed to have a good time!" Encouraging words for all of them, Edd was going against what he had promised himself, he'd have fun, no matter who he danced with, or saw dancing.

It took them a while to finally arrive, and when they did they were able to finally see their dates. Kenzie was wearing a black sparkling dress; it clung to her tightly showing off some curves that Eddy hadn't looked for before. The dress scooped under her neck formed a U. Eddy didn't know what kind of dress It was (he would have been pretty mad at himself if he did) it went just beyond her knees and her hair was wavy, it hadn't gotten any longer and just went to her shoulders. Emma was wearing a dress that covered her arms and was at her knees, it was a green dress and was sleek with a V neck, Ed couldn't stop staring.

Edd's date apparently hadn't showed yet, which was fine by him. Eddy and Ed practically burst forward and went to talk to them; he stayed back and let them joke before Eddy waved him there. "You don't need my permission to walk over here; even if you're in a suit it doesn't make you a butler."

"I was actually admiring the decor of the place; the school did a fantastic job." He pointed to the lunch tables for people to sit at when they weren't dancing, and the fake turkeys that were on the wall and in other places, overall it looked pretty nice and thanksgiving themed.

"Ha! So there was a theme, I would have come as a pilgrim." Eddy declared, looking at his vest and undershirt.

Kenzie sighed and shook her head. "This isn't Halloween; you don't actually dress up for a school dance in a costume."

Ed looked up at the ceiling, remembering something. "Halloween was fun."

Eddy covered his eyes with his hand; it wasn't such a good memory for him. "Don't talk about Halloween, I'll never eat candy again, it still makes me hurl."

Edd covered his mouth to hide his laugh. "That was quite a load of candy you ate."

"I said no more!" Eddy barked, rubbing his stomach.

They had gotten to the dance early, so not a lot of people had started dancing. Kenzie said they could all dance once Edd's date decided to show up. He felt like he was holding them back from a good time, but as they joked around the table and talked he understood that whether they were dancing or talking, it would still be a good time for all of them.

Kenzie complained about Lindsey again, then looked passed Edd and threw her hands up. "Finally, I thought you might have forgotten," She said It loud enough for the girl at the other end of the lunchroom to hear her. "You get straight A's and yet you are the most forgetful person."

Edd turned around; finally he was able to see who this girl was. There was defiantly a truth to what Kenzie had said, she looked good in glasses. The girl looked meek, that was the explanation of her overall appearance that Edd could think of, her hair was black and her bangs hung close to her eyes, she was a little pale but not deathly looking so and had hazel eyes, Edd was able to notice how her square frames matched her eyes perfectly. She walked over to them and smiled, then gave a fleeting glance at Edd.

"Hello, I'm guessing Kenzie already told you who I am." Lindsey's dress was like Emma's, it covered her arms and was loose, it was held by a black belt in the middle and was pink, she had black stockings under it and flat black shoes.

Edd liked it. He felt as if he wasn't supposed too.

The dancing had officially started then, the two girls practically dragged a blushing Ed and a scared looking Eddy towards the dance floor, Edd hoped the best for them. Looking at her now, Edd seemed to gain a boost of confidence and reached out towards her.

"Care to dance," He smiled; he was blushing and felt like his stomach might jump out of his throat, but at least he had asked.

When she grabbed his hand it was warm, but also a little shaky. "Of course I would."

The dancing was different, new, and so embarrassing it made all three of the boys feel as if they had gone to a math test with nothing on but their underwear. School dances were so, different than the dance before, the dance moves were, different that was the only way they could describe it. Kenzie, Emma, and Lindsey had all apparently caught onto the newest dance moves, but Ed, Double-D and Eddy, were not very practiced, but seem to catch on. Edd couldn't think all that much about what was going on, it was something that he couldn't seem to wrap his head around, the dances were hot and intense, something seemed to awaken in him that had been sealed away, some animalistic instinct that kept him dancing, kept him grinding harder. When they had finished and were sitting down at the table he was sweating and breathing in and out deeply, he wasn't used to so much, well exercise. He was blushing and so was Lindsey, there was something exciting about doing what they just did with someone they knew not a lot about. Edd felt guilt for some reason; he excused himself from the table and walked towards the bathroom. After dancing there were pictures right? That's usually how the dances went in the movies. While he walked he saw that there was a light on in the library, he had thought it would be closed for the rest of the dance. Slowly he walked up to it and opened the door, and sitting on chairs and knitting were two people he thought he'd never see in this kind of context, Nazz and Rolf.

"Hey! If it isn't too smart for his hat Ed boy." Rolf waved at him, now they both were looking. "What goes on at the hullaballoo Ed boy?"

He gulped, Nazz had her full attention on him now, and the look she was sending him wasn't one of happiness. "It's….going well, thank you for asking." He was about to turn around and walk off before Nazz quickly excused herself and marched off towards him, oh no.

She grabbed his arm and marched off with him towards the hallway, then poked his chest rather hard with her finger. "Why are you always ditching me? And don't tell me you aren't because I know you are."

"W-what, well I mean I-it's not exactly what you think," He was trying to explain himself to no avail, finally after moments of stumbling over his words he took a deep breath in. "It's complicated."

She shook her head, the angry look still on her face. "That's not an answer."

Edd stopped and stared at her, No! He couldn't feel the same way; he couldn't let his heart yearn for her like before. He had to cut ties with her before he ended up heartbroken and alone. That's how it would end for him; he couldn't tell her that without telling her about his crush, he couldn't lie to her either. Pent up feelings were rushing out of him and he thought he was going to scream, then another look showed on her face, a look of worry, of concern for a boy who didn't know what to do. He liked that look, it meant she at least felt something for him, felt he was worth worrying over; he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I-it's just that W-well, I don't know Nazz." He said, more pleaded, with her to understand that he himself just couldn't figure it out, feelings like this were too new to him. "But I'll figure it out, I'll find a way to explain this to you, but until then ill muster up the courage to talk to you."

Nazz didn't really know what was going on, but if Edd said he didn't know, then he really didn't know. She trusted him when he said he would tell her. "Mk, but until you do figure it out, how about a dance?"

There wasn't much Edd could say to that, there were places in his mind that screamed for him to say no, to tell her that it was a bad idea. He couldn't though, his heart, the organ that's main function was to distribute oxygenated blood, told him to go with her. Yet another thing he couldn't understand.

He blushed as they walked to the dance floor, remembering how it had gone before. Luckily there was a slow song playing, he saw Lindsey dancing with someone else, probably a crush that had the nerve to ask her, she gave him a weak smile when he saw her and he smiled back. It wasn't like he could be jealous; they had just met each other. Nazz moved her hands over his shoulders and he gulped before he moved then above her waist, she smiled and looked at him with her eyebrows high.

"You of all people should know that the hands go on the waist, not above them." She lectured, the same knowing smile on her face.

He inched downward until they were on her hip. Then with the music playing in the background, they danced. Edd loved it, couldn't get enough of her smell, her warm hands that seem to send electricity through him as if he were a conductible metal. She leaned down into his shoulder, he had to ask, he just had to.

"Where's Kevin?"

She didn't stop dancing with him, didn't even pause, but it did take her a while to answer. "The football game is today, I think his friends went to go watch it and Kevin went along."

She sounded sad at that last part, the last encounter Edd had with Kevin didn't end very well, but it did seem as if he was connected to those people. Those jerks. "Oh, I'm sorry." That's all that came to his head.

She looked up at him, her eyes filled with question. "Why?" She then leaned closer into his shoulder, so close he felt the warm sensation of her breathing on his neck. "I'm not mad; actually, I'm pretty happy right now."

He didn't want to say anything after that; there wasn't anything that needed to be said. They just danced for as long as they could, he cherished every moment, memorized everything. Even the look on his friends faces as they danced. He hated it when the songs finally ended and it was back to the fast pace ones. He sat down at a table away from his friends and watched as Nazz ate some of the food that the school had provided.

"You sure you don't want one?" She asked again, holding up a half-eaten cookie. It did look good, even better now that she was willing to share something that she had bitten. Edd felt weird for thinking that, he needed to get a grip.

"Ok, I'll take one thanks." To his disappointment she handed him one from her plate.

While they ate she pointed at him, the cookie gone. "You better start talking to me again, I'm serious I felt like I had done something wrong."

Edd didn't want to say anything to that, he had felt like she did something wrong. "Ok, I apologize, I see you enough in class, ill actually talk this time."

She threw a piece of a cookie at him. "Now it seems like I'm making you talk to me."

Edd chucked and flicked the piece off of him. "Oh so now I have a choice in the matter?"

Nazz laughed and shook her head. "No, just trying to make you think you did."

It was one of the best conversations he had ever had with her, there was no awkward stuttering from him and Nazz didn't seem to be the only one talking, it was mutual and perfect. Just like he had always wanted it to be.

But it ended.

He walked her home and they stood there staring at the door, she opened it and closed it after she said her goodbye. He had thought this would happen, but it didn't make his heart hurt any less, he looked back at the door again before he turned around and started to walk away. He didn't let the tears come, he had to stay strong. He let out a sigh and shivered, it was getting colder. That is until something warm pressed against his back. Until his cheeks warmed him, because the person hugging him was none other than sweet Nazz.

"I forgot to give you a proper goodbye." She hugged tighter; he was too stunned to move. "Goodnight, Edd."

Edd almost didn't have the strength to talk. "Goodnight Nazz." He squeaked, he didn't know his voice could do that.

She smiled and ran back into her house, he left feeling a lot better.

Eddy walked with his arm around her; it was funny how warm she made him feel even though it was cold. She had complained about it and he just put his arm around her, just like that, like it was supposed to happen.

She pointed to her house, specifically at the light that was on. "Looks like my parents are home," It was like she was saying 'either come with and meet my parents or run away like a coward' Eddy was going to take the challenge.

"Cool, are they friends or hostile?"

She laughed, considering it. That usually meant they were hostile. "It's like a good cop bad cop kinda thing, I think it's my dad whose bad cop."

Eddy gulped, when they got to the door she smiled at him and hugged him tightly. "Thanks for actually walking the whole way with me; I know it'll be a ways back."

Eddy held her waist, something he had learned to do when she hugged him like that. "Worth it." Was all he needed to say to that.

She leaned back her arms still wrapped around his neck, and he could have sworn to every quarter he had at home that she leaned forward, but someone opened the door before he could fully be aware and she quickly let him go.

Ya fate was just messing with him now.

It was her mom, a woman who had the same eyes as Kenzie and smile lines around her face; she did just that and smiled towards Eddy.

"Oh so you're Eddy, what a handsome young man we have here." She sounded sweet and Eddy didn't think she was making fun of him.

Kenzie groaned, "Yes, this is Eddy." She didn't seem too annoyed she was smiling.

Her mother looked at him again, he was a little embarrassed. "So I have to ask, you aren't some biker guy who blows stuff up right?"

"Um I'm not a biker, but I have blown up a couple of things before." He wasn't lying but she must have thought he was joking, Kenzie just shook her head.

She turned to him and hugged him again, kissing his cheek as she let go, it was subtle enough to where her mom didn't notice. Eddy would have to steal that move. "Thanks for taking me Eddy."

"Don't thank me I wanted to do it." He smiled, blushing just a little from the kiss.

She walked in with her mom and just as the door was closing he heard Kenzies mother talk. "I approve."

She heard Kenzie yell Mom next.

Emma held Ed's hand the whole way to her house. He wouldn't have let go if evil mutant zombies were roaming the streets.

Because you know, if they were he would need some pictures.

The walk was only a little longer than it was to Kenzies house. When they got there she rang the doorbell and kissed his cheek, just shy of his mouth.

"Thanks for asking me Ed, it was actually really fun."

The whole night Ed had felt the same weird feeling spread across him, especially when they had been dancing. The kiss really made his feelings skyrocket. When her parents opened the door he was severely questioned.

Was he a drug dealer, he didn't know what drugs were.

Did he skip school, he had never in his life skipped to school, he should try it though.

Was he a delinquent, he didn't know what that was either.

Somehow he passed that test.

Emma laughed and told him she'd see him later, he said she defiantly would.

He wanted to see her really bad after all this. While he walked he saw Eddy leaning against a pole waiting for him.

"Take that stupid smile off your face." But the problem was that Eddy had one too.

* * *

><p><strong>Finalllllyyyyyy! here is the dance that everything led up to. Bet you expected a fist fight or like a monster pop in i mean it had taken me so long to lead in on this, i've been asked about why i have not dont anything NazzEdd in such a long time and im sorry! But i needed to get Kenzie and Emma in there so Eddy and Ed werent just randomly taking two girls, bet you wouldnt have liked that all that much XD I really hoped you liked all this fluff, it might just kill you but i hope it hasnt and you've made it here to read my authors note.**

**See ya later for another chapter im trying to do a christmas special!**

**If i make it i want some hugs :)**


	10. Please come (Christmas special!)

**I did it! I was literally up for a bit making this and i hope you guys like it, I got lots of good things for Christmas and i really hope you guys did too, Merry Christmas to you. The Ed's have some stuff to say to you too :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Ed's but during Christmas its all about giving ;)**

**Eddy: Ya Merry Christmas, and if ya can go ahead and mail me some money!**

**Edd: Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all!**

**Ed: Santa wants you all to have a Merry Christmas and i do too!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Please come<strong>_

_Merry Christmas_

No exclamation point, no smiley face, just a simple yellow sticky note that had two words on it. He didn't even understand what they meant. He just stared at it for the longest time, when had they gotten home? It must have been when he was asleep.

They hadn't even woken him up.

His gifts were laid on the floor right under the barely decorated Christmas tree. The presents would be exactly what he had asked for, because he wrote them on a note for his parents. They weren't with him enough to guess what he wanted. Edd had only vague memory of spending a Christmas day with his parents, and he could remember things from when he was four. His parents had just been too occupied with their jobs to care about parenting; he guessed that they favored that job over the other. He didn't know if it was right but Edd had always thought that being a parent was supposed to come first, above all else, by the way his parents were acting he was very wrong. He was still looking at the note; it was written without heart, what did they feel towards him? Was he just an obligation, another chore that they checked off every now and again that they visited? Or was he just mandatory, a wife and a husband usually had a child, maybe that's what he was, just something they had to have because it was logical, Edd was born in a world where logic trumped all, and he hadn't been broken out of that spell until Eddy and Ed had come along and showed him how it truly was to feel. He was a boy being raised in two completely different worlds. He couldn't love one without hating the other.

He loved feelings.

So did he hate his parents?

He would have made a Christmas wish for that question to be answered but he made another one instead. He made the same Christmas wish he always made, every year. He just wanted his parents to come home.

Eddy snuck downstairs before either of his parents could wake up, he looked at the three gifts they had gotten him, at least they hadn't used the money to spend it on booze this year. He opened each one quickly and quietly. He had gotten a sweater, another pickle jar to hold his quarters, and a pocket knife. The only thing that was actually interesting was the knife; he quickly grabbed it and studied the different tools that it held, it was perfect, slim and not bulky so it wouldn't show if he put it in his pocket, it wasn't one of those square ones but was a deep oval shape, and the knife on it was at least and inch and a half long. If he ever needed to use this thing it would work, how affective was it against a drunken raging man he wondered. Then quickly shook his head, the idea making his stomach clench.

He heard a creak downstairs and quickly ran to the upstairs bathroom, he quietly got ready and got his winter clothes on before he opened the door and looked around his barren house, when would he have the courage to leave?

He walked outside in the deep snow, it was cold but comforting, and everyone was inside so he didn't hear much but the soft crunching of his feet walking over the snow. He pulled his hat down more and kept walking to a certain girl's house, unfortunately it wasn't Kenzies, he would have to get a lot further with her if he wanted to go over at a time like this. Christmas was for families to bond, not for some random guy to show up and ruin it all, instead he was going over Nazz's who had planned a party after her parents had got trapped in the snow and couldn't get a flight to her. Eddy felt bad, after all Christmas time was for families.

Which was why he was walking away from his home.

Ed yawned and quickly ran up the stairs to meet an excited Sarah and two parents that looked at him. That's the only way he could describe what they were doing, just looking at him like he was just there, like he just existed and that's all he did, it kinda bothered him but he chose not to say anything.

He always chose not to say anything.

"You had your sister waiting for so long," His mom accused, shaking her head and sighing. "What are we going to do with you?" He chose not to answer that question too.

"Aw mom its fine, come on Ed come open your gifts!"

Ed was wearing his elf ears, a special gift from Santa that he had gotten last year, he loved being an honorary Elf, always making sure Christmas joy was spread for all to have. Then again as an elf he did need to inspect the toys that Santa had gotten for him this Christmas, he could postpone his duties while he did that right?

"I feel all fuzzy inside Sarah!" He looked at the gifts that were under the highly decorated Christmas tree (thanks to him) and a frown almost came to his face, there were eight Christmas presents for Sarah, he only saw two for him. Santa must have thought he didn't do so well this year.

His presents were a new pair of shoes, and a sock monkey. He didn't even ask for them on his Christmas list, Santa must have skipped over it. It didn't bother him, as an elf it was his duty to give not receive. But hearing his sisters squeals of delight as she got all the toys she had wanted made it harder for him to concentrate on his Elven job. Their parents smiled and laughed as their daughter jumped along the room and said how she would play with the newest doll house she had gotten.

He gave her a weak smile and then got ready to go outside, when he left his parents didn't even say goodbye.

"Chin up sower puss, Nazz's party will cheer ya up." Eddy was standing in-front of his house with his hands in his pocket and an angry stare that was fixated on Ed's house. How could Ed's parents treat him as if he weren't even alive?

Ed's smile widened and he literally jumped on Eddy, because he had come.

He didn't have too. It meant he had thought of him.

"Where's Double-D?" He scanned the area for his hat wearing friend but he was nowhere to be found.

"Probably with his mom and dad, he doesn't see'em enough, guess he wanted to spend as much time with them as he could." Eddy shrugged; looking at Edd's house and sighing. Even though he was probably having the time of his life, it would be different without him. "Aw who needs him though! We can have a great time without that know-it-all!"

"I'll miss him," Ed whimpered, his lower lip quivering in a sad pout.

Eddy pushed him towards Nazz's. "Stop your whining! We'll see him later."

Nazz's house was very festive when they went inside her Christmas tree was glowing in the center of the room while other lights and trinkets hung from varies places around it. Eddy rated the place an overall nine for decor, but then he saw the food and bumped it up to a ten. There were Christmas cookies, brownies, and all other kind of teeth rotting foods, usually Edd would tell them about how bad it was for them, but he wasn't here so they ate away. When Nazz saw them she walked straight up to them and they almost chocked on their cookies.

Her Christmas sweater was just a tad too loose on her and hung down, showing her bare shoulder, if that wasn't enough the skirt she was wearing was also a little small, but they said nothing as their temperatures rose.

"Hey guys," She said, Eddy's cookie was hanging out of his mouth and Ed was looking everywhere but where she was, all she could do was smile at them and wait. She was pretty used to this.

Eddy bumped Ed with his elbow and cleared his throat. "Hey Nazz, what's up?" He mentally cursed himself; he didn't even like her anymore why was he acting so weird!?

She looked from one Ed to the other, like she was counting them. "Where's Double-D?" Eddy was able to catch that she did sound a little sad.

He took another bite of his cookie, "He's with his mom and dad, I heard them comin' in yesterday."

Nazz gave him a concerned look and then shook her head. "Um, I don't think so, I was up pretty late babysitting my cousin and I saw the car leave."

Eddy's jaw automatically clenched tightly, he was alone? "They left him again." This wasn't the first time they had left him home alone for Christmas; they had never really been there for Christmas.

Nazz set her glass of eggnog down and was about to walk over to his house when Eddy stopped her. "No, we can't just burst in there and help him; it's not the kind of thing he wants."

Nazz scowled at him for a moment. "We're not just going to leave him there."

Eddy shook his head and looked to the ground. "…Give him a minute though, and let me and Ed do this, I've actually got an idea." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, this was going to be a pretty good idea, and he got an approved smile from Nazz.

"Ok go get him then."

Eddy took as many cookies and put them in his pocket as he could, then snatched a hot chocolate and was on his way with Ed following close behind. Before he got to the door he took a deep breath, getting himself ready to see a sad Edd. He was going to knock but he tested the handle first and found that it was unlocked; Edd must have known they were coming.

The house was so quiet that the doors creaking noise echoed in the rooms. They walked in and let the door close behind him, Eddy felt like he was in one of those scary movies. There wasn't any movement downstairs so they went up to see if their sad stricken friend was there, there was a light on where his room was and they quietly walked in and opened the door, Eddy expected to find something else but his friend was sitting down studying his ants.

"Have you noticed that if an ant is by themselves they'll die?" He kept staring and jotted down a note. "They are such social creatures; it's interesting to see how they interact with one another." Again he took notes of one of the ants and kept watching.

Ed looked at Eddy and shrugged, they both expected something different. They walked by him and looked over his shoulder at his notes, there were a lot, he had already filled out three pages front to back.

"Think you got enough notes there Edd?" Eddy stated sarcastically, pulling up one of the notes and reading over it, it made his head hurt.

"Ya, wanna come outside and have a snowball fight?"

Edd took more notes; he hadn't even looked at them. "Not really, I have to study on elephants and orangutans next, maybe even the emperor penguin."

Eddy raised his eyebrow and scratches his head. "Why, school doesn't start for a while, and I don't think we had that as homework."

That's when Edd turned around on his chair and looked at him, his eyes teary and he sniffed. "No, I just want to see why they are such good parents…"

Ed couldn't keep himself back anymore, he hugged him tightly and held him while Eddy watched, the problem was that his emotional friend wasn't crying like he usually would.

"I don't want to cry over them, but thank you Ed." When his friend released him he inhaled the fresh air deeply.

"You aint stayin' in here all day, you're coming outside with us." Eddy commanded, taking hold of Edd's hat and pulling him.

"W-wait, at least let me acquire some warm clothing." Eddy allowed him too and he quickly got dressed in his orange coat and purple snow pants, overall he looked a lot plumper than he actually was but he was also a lot warmer because of it.

They quickly walked outside and instantly put their hands in their pockets. "Did it seriously get even colder?" Eddy groaned, shivering and shrinking more into his thin coat.

"Will you be ok in such a loose coat Eddy?" Edd actually sounded concerned; it was also a way for him to think about someone else's problems instead of his own.

"Pfft this is fine, let's just get to the van and it'll warm us up." Their hang out spot would be the perfect place for Edd to cheer up and reminisce on old times.

"Yaaa! Another adventure through the junkyard!" Ed jacked both his arms high in the air and smiled wide.

Ed's enthusiasm was becoming contagious. "True, it has been sometime since we visited the van; I wonder if it's still in the same condition as when we left it."

Eddy waved the question away with his hand. "Course it is, who else would want to hang out there but us, it's in a junkyard after all!"

The walk was actually fun and kept Edd's mind off of his troubles, only his friends could do that for him, he was very glad that they had come to visit. Though he felt a little empty inside, his family was missing and that was a hole he felt hadn't been filled, it just changed Christmas for him completely. When they had gotten in the car it was no warmer inside than it was out, but at least they could sit down and find some shelter from the snow. Ed jumped on the water bed and before Double-D could tell him that was a bad idea he hit it hard and rolled off of it.

"C-c-c-cold…" He shivered and rolled off on the purple carpet, Eddy and Edd had taken spots on the front seat.

"Bwahahahaha! Did'ya see how hard he hit that ice? Classic!" Eddy was grabbing his stomach and swinging his legs up and down as he laughed.

"Eddy! Your friend just got hurt, the least you could do was show some compassion." Double-D looked over Ed to make sure he wasn't too hurt. "You ok Ed?"

Ed smiled and rolled so he was on his stomach. "Yup, I got a strong head like Eddy says."

Edd shook his head and rubbed Ed's red hair. "That does not mean it won't hurt sometimes, even if a part of you is strong it can still become hurt."

Ed thought it over for a moment, his head didn't hurt but another part of him did. "Does that mean my heart isn't strong then Double-D?"

Eddy turned around in his seat and looked at him. "What do ya mean?"

Ed pointed to his heart and looked up at them, Edd's face looked sad while Eddy's had a hint of anger on it. "My heart hurts sometimes at home, makes me feel sad."

If that line didn't absolutely break Edd's heart then nothing else could, he got off of his seat and scoot back to where Ed was. "Why haven't you told me about this?" The sad part about this was that Ed didn't seem to understand how sadness worked, he had kept it inside thinking it would go away but it didn't work like that.

Edd knew.

His family hadn't come for him, there was plenty of pent up sadness.

Ed just shrugged like he didn't know and Eddy turned towards the wheel looking off outside, he had plenty of choice words for Ed's parents but he didn't want to say them now, it would break the big guys heart.

"I want you to come to me whenever this hurts ok?" Edd laid his hand on Ed's heart.

Ed looked at him and seemed confused. "My utter?"

Edd smiled, letting his good natured attitude show instead of groaning. "My you sure know how to tax ones patience Ed." He said this all with a smile, knowing that Ed wouldn't understand a word he said. "No I'm referring to your heart Ed."

"Oh, Mk." He shook his head and gave Edd a smile, but all he got in return was a sad one.

Eddy let out a big sigh and leaned the chair back. "This aint the Christmas I had in mind." He knew he wouldn't have a good Christmas, he never had, but his friends were sad with him, they felt his pain. Eddy wouldn't wish his pain on his worst enemy let alone his two best friends. Then again, wishing it on Kyle might not be the worst idea.

"What do you mean?" Edd was still rubbing Ed's head and he was smiling big and wide.

Eddy nodded his head from Double-D to Ed. "Your Christmases sucked, we got to find a way to cheer you sad sacks up." He opened the door and seemed to be playing with something on the ground, Edd should have known what was coming next but he was too busy trying to make Ed happier, until a snowball smacked him straight in the face. He looked up to see a wicket smile on Eddy's face.

"Now Eddy, can't we find a better way of cheering ourselves up." He slowly snuck backwards to the large doors in the back, he knew very well that Eddy wouldn't stop and was just trying to buy some time.

He threw another snowball and Ed jumped out along with Double-D, they crashed into a pile of snow and scrambled up as more snowballs assaulted them. Edd looked up to see Nazz and the others standing outside with their own snowballs in hand. He gave her a questioning look and she smiled back at him.

"Ed plan." That was all that needed to be said before a flurry of snowballs were thrown in all directions. Nazz hit Rolf, Rolf hit Jonny, and Sarah had found herself protecting Jimmy and laughing.

Edd was able to throw a couple of snowballs, but not very far so he quickly mad himself a small slingshot and hit others that way. He was laughing so hard his stomach hurt and he was so glad then that he had such amazing friends; he didn't even know if he could call Eddy and Ed that, they had become better than just best friends to him.

He'd think of a word for them later.

The snowball fight lasted a lot longer than it should have, a lot of the kids were shaking and sniffling but the smiles didn't leave their faces.

"L-let's g-g-o to Edd's house." Eddy shivered, he was caked in snow but it didn't seem to bother him.

Edd nodded and they began to slowly walk to his house. It's not like anyone was there to wait for him so might as well have some kind of company. His numb fingers fumbled around with his keys and he was finally able to open the door.

To one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen in his life.

Right there in the middle of his living room was a highly decorated tree, with all kinds of ornaments, streamers, and a nice glowing star to top it off. His walls had long lines of glittering red streamers on them; others were green and hung right beside them. There were cookies on a table, and there were more presents under the tree than he could count.

"W-wha-? " He couldn't even finish his question, he was dumb struck, because someone had done this all for him, someone had actually thought of him during Christmas. He turned around to see a whole set of grinning faces pointed towards him.

Nazz tilted her head towards Eddy. "This one was Eddy's idea."

Eddy and Ed were standing off to the side looking at all the decorations. "Eh, Nazz was the one that set all this up, I just came up with moving the party to your house."

How could he be modest at a time like this? The cocky boy who always seemed to think he was the center of the universe was actually trying to give credit to someone else, it was hilarious and Edd found himself laughing, but not for long because after a while of the hysterical fit of laughter he started to cry. He got to his knees and just started to sob. He didn't feel as embarrassed as he thought he would, the tears were clean and felt good. Eddy and Ed came to his side, Ed hugging him and Eddy patting his arm, he couldn't ask for better friends. No, family to share his time with.

"Are those salt deposits from your lama-whoziwhatsets." Eddy joked, smiling at the old quip that Edd had used when they were children and it had been Eddy who was crying.

It made Edd laugh but also made him cry even more, this was his new family, he had a family finally that had been with him from the beginning, two brothers that he always wanted. "Y-you said it wrong."

"Who cares let's start this party!" With that declaration from Eddy the party finally started.

Everyone was either stuffing their faces with cookies or opening the presents that had been labeled for them, it was a full cul-de-sac party that made Edd so happy, it made him cry more but he was able to calm himself after a while and party along with everyone else.

"Oh looky here Edd and Nazz are under the mistletoe!" Eddy shouted loud enough to get everyone's attention. He blushed and smiled when Nazz kissed him on the cheek. He officially loved the tradition that mistletoes had.

The party had lasted for a long time but when it had ended and everyone had left he had one of the biggest smiles on his face.

"This was one of the best days ever." Edd dreamily said as he lay in heap by the fire, he had eaten so many cookies he felt like he would explode.

Edd looked around to see if there were any messes, party or not he still needed this place clean, he looked under the tree to see three presents that no one had claimed. "I think there are some presents here for us." He pulled them out and read the tags and his guess was correct.

"Who are they from!?" Ed excitedly asked, thinking of a special person.

Edd smiled at him and looked over the tags again and right there they said from Santa, but the cursive was very familiar, it had been written by his parents, they knew all too well how much Ed loved Santa, it warmed Edd's heart that they had thought of his friend while they chose the presents. "Oh it's from Santa."

"SANTAAAA!" Ed tackled his present.

"Be careful Ed it could be fragile!"

"Ok let's open them together so I can brag about how my present is better than yours." Eddy started ripping his apart while Edd and Double-D followed.

When they had removed the tops they all gasped. Eddy had gotten what he wanted, a wallet that had twenty bucks in it, Ed got an elf hat with his name on it, and lastly Double-D had received three cellphones, one red, one blue, and the other green. They were glorious, their fronts were slim and shined, their keys were large enough to where Ed's big fingers wouldn't press multiple buttons at once, they were flip phones that had his and his friend's names on the screen, and they shone on the front of the phone in light letters.

There was a sticky note on the side and he read it.

_So you can call each other whenever you need. We know we're not in your company enough, but your friends are and at least now you can contact us and your friends whenever you want._

"WHOA, sweet!" Eddy said, while he tucked his wallet in his back pocket.

"Cool!" Ed put his hat on and looked over his cellphone.

Edd just let tears fall from his face again; he had cried way too much today but he couldn't hold these back. He loved his family, his two brothers and his mom and dad.

He understood what Christmas meant then.

* * *

><p><strong>Merry Christmas guys and gals i really hope from the bottom of my heart that you guys have a good holiday.<strong>


	11. Dorks part 1

**Haha! I'm still not back XD but I was able to slowly (very very slowly) finish this chapter. I'm really sorry guys and gals that read this I am just very busy right now and I know that's no excuse cause I love writing and I would bet you guys love reading but I still can't focus on the story right now until all this stuff I have is done. End of semester is starting to come back to kill me x.x soooo much work.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ed Edd n Eddy characters. If I did though, I would be on this issue of vogue.**

** Dorks part 1 **

There were a lot of reasons that Double-D never really engaged in physical fighting. Actually it was very obvious why he had never been in a fight. His body wasn't physically fit at all. Running tired him out after a couple seconds, lifting weights was just impossible, and he was pretty sure he couldn't even sweep the kitchen without his muscles aching afterwards. It was fine, he had accepted this a very long time ago and had decided that what he lacked in brawn he would make up for in brains.

He was really really smart.

There were times where Eddy would tell him that he was pretty much begging to be bullied but he never really got how he was emitting some kind of weakness that would make others want to hurt him.

Though he had to guess after going face first into the lockers that he must have been.

Cody gave him a sly smile and bumped one of the guys on the side of him, he snickered too. Edd sighed and went the opposite direction; he didn't have time for this. He was almost late for his math class but got there just in time, he sat next to Allen and Emma, the only people he actually knew in the class.

"Hey there Double-D, how are you this fine day?" Allen smiled, he looked a lot more chipper than usual.

Emma gave him a blank stare and shook her head. "He's not going to let you copy off of his homework either."

Allen looked from her to Edd. "Wait, Why!?"

"Because he's not a pushover."

"There's a difference between being a pushover and a nice person, right Double-D?"

Edd looked at him and shrugged. "As I do consider myself a decent person, I do not condone copying." Then again the sad look that Allen had on his face did make Edd want to reconsider his policy. He reached in his backpack to pull out his homework but Emma slapped hers right by him.

"It's fine, the teacher would get suspicious if Allen got all the questions right." She stuck her tongue at Allen who just smirked at her.

"I don't really care how I get the answers, as long as I get them."

Double-D watched Allen as he copied; so far out of all the people in the lumpers group Allen was the only male who was kind to him. Apart of him wondered why, Allen was considered a jock, he was pretty toned and tall, if he wanted to he could look intimidating but he just had such a confident and friendly atmosphere about him. He was the exception to the jock rule Edd had come up with while being beaten by the other lumpers.

Allen looked up at him after he had finished and jacked his thumb towards the door. "Actually when class is over can I talk to you?"

Double-D gave him a confused look and gulped. "Yes…that's fine." Hearing Allen actually sound serious was sort of scary in a way. He wanted to skip meeting up with him but when class ended and he walked with Allen outside he knew he couldn't avoid it.

Allen looked around and put his hands in his pockets, his smile was gone and he looked too serious for Edd's liking. "Hey, are you ok man?" He tried to look at Edd's eyes but he was averting his gaze.

"What do you mean?" Double-D tried to play it as coy and cool as possible.

Allen shook his head. "Well I don't know, I feel like Cody and them are being jerks to you."

Edd shook his head a little too quickly, he didn't know why he did, he really had no idea why he just didn't tell the truth. There was something holding him back though. "No, they are probably just displaying an old school rivalry mentality but they have been no huge bother to me."

Allen looked at him again and frowned slightly. "You sure? I'll tell them to back off if they are acting like idiots."

"…It's fine Allen, don't worry." He smiled, he shouldn't have, but he did.

He wasn't a fighter.

Allen shook his head slowly and started walking towards his sixth while Edd walked in the opposite direction, mentally kicking himself the whole way. He sat down next to Nazz and Eddy; both looked at him like they already knew something was up.

"You ok Double-D?" Nazz asked, her voice a little bit of a pickup for the somber boy.

He smiled at her, he didn't care if everyone at the school started bullying him then, he was with an angel. "I'm fine Nazz, thanks for your concern. I was just thinking about a conversation with Allen." He needed to learn how to lie.

"Allen?" Eddy smirked, he had become pretty close friends with Allen after a while, he was an excellent replacement for Kevin. "Must've been good then, what he say?"

"Just a little chat between friends." Edd shrugged, leaving out more than he should and annoying Eddy all at the same time.

He looked at him, giving Double-D his full attention. "A little chat? What was it about Sock-head?!"

He always liked to mess with Eddy just a little every now and again. Edd who was sitting next to Eddy interrupted before Edd could play with Eddy's head more.

"Now now, he doesn't have to tell you if he doesn't want too." He looked ignorantly at a fuming Eddy who was glaring daggers at Double-D.

He let it go and started typing on his computer, more out of anger than necessity.

Eddy decided to switch his attention to talking to Ed while Double-D tried flirted with Nazz, which consisted of helping her with the assignment, while Eddy played on the computer. He got a lecture from the teacher and Edd about his behavior but he shut them up when he showed them his complete assignment, he had gotten some help from Kenzie on the assignment before.

He felt like a king after that and while he walked out he strut his stuff confidently. That is until Allen pulled him aside just as he got to the door. Ed and Double-D both walked towards them but Allen shooed them away with his hand, Edd looked absolutely terrified while he left and even gave a desperate look towards both boys as he walked away.

Allen looked like he wanted to say something, but while he stared at Edd he waved Eddy off and just told him to "Watch over Double-D."

"Like I'm not already," Eddy smirked, pointing towards where Double-D had been. "I pretty much have to watch him every day."

Allen shook his head and sighed. "No, you're not." Before Eddy could get angry he held his hands up protectively. "Not that it's your fault though, there's nothing you could have done about it."

Eddy got serious then, he stared at him. "What do you mean?" He could practically feel the tension starting to boil up, along with his anger.

Allen shook his head. "Hey man, ill handle it, but I just wanted to warn you, because you're a good friend of mine." Before he could explain himself more Eddy took a step forward, but his expression softened.

"Well what's wrong with Edd? If something's wrong I want to know."

Allen shook his head again, pointing off in the distance. "Just ask Edd I really don't know for sure if this is true or not, but go to the source."

Eddy pouted but he looked content with the answer. "Fine then…well thanks for telling me I guess." That was the closest to appreciation that he was going to get.

He couldn't have gotten to the house quicker, and when Edd tentatively opened the door he practically busted though. "You, cmere." Eddy grabbed his hat and pulled him into the other room, there wasn't much resistance from the scared boy.

Edd was shaking and wringing his hands when Eddy finally let him go. Neither of them said anything for a little while, Eddy looked at him while Edd just died a little inside at the harsh gaze. Finally he found his voice and spoke up.

"Eddy…I can explain, I just need a little time…"

Eddy put his hand up before he could finish talking. "Allen told me that I'm not 'watching over you' does that mean there's something going on that I don't know about." He poked Edd's chest hard and the boy squeaked. "Cause if there is than I'm gonna kick your butt from here to timbucktoo!"

Edd blinked, looking a little surprised. Not by the idle threat but the fact that Allen really hadn't told Eddy anything about Kevin or the others. "Well, lately school has just been a little difficult is all." He wasn't lying about that.

"Is that it, how can it be difficult for a wise-guy like you?"

He had to think on his feet with this one. Something he already knew wasn't natural to him. "It's…hard to explain…just making friends has become a problem that has recently presented itself."

That's when Ed decided to waltz into the room and hug Double-D as hard as he could. "That's it huh? Well it doesn't matter cause you have us right?"

"Ed…you're…crushing me."

Eddy laughed at that. "Ya sock-head you got us, and that's all you'll need, I mean who needs a lot of friends when you can have one me, that equals like a million people!"

When Ed let him go Double-D was again astounded by how comforting of his feelings his two adopted brothers were. It really was a surprise that always made him smile. "Of course, I don't know how I got to thinking that I needed better company than the two of you." There was a small amount of sarcasm in his voice, but he didn't think Eddy or Ed had noticed it.

"Exactly, I'm too good to have anyone better than me anyways!"

"And I'm good too, right Double-D?!" Ed happily put in; he was rewarded with a head rub.

"Better than good Ed."

He was able to go to sleep feeling a lot better than he had the beginning of the day, but that secret he kept still weighed on his heart, if only a little.

He had no idea that it would get a lot worse.

Edd was walking with Allen now from his class to math. He felt as if he were getting protected and it made him feel very weak, especially since it was Allen protecting him. It embarrassed him to a point that he was practically red when he was escorted to his class. Even if there was no more attacks he felt like he was being watched as he moved.

"You ok?" Allen asked, he was now leaning over on a locker right next to Edd's. The lunch bell had rang and Edd was just preparing for his 5th period class.

The boy didn't look away from his locker. "Yes….of course I am very fine."

Nazz had picked the best time to walk in then because Allen was just opening his mouth to say something.

"Hey Double-D, you want to go to the library with me?" Edd could tell she just wanted to get him alone, or at least away from the overprotective Allen.

He couldn't have said yes any quicker than he did, he gave a quick smile to Allen and walked off with her. They casually strolled in and saw Rolf sitting on a table eating what Edd could only assume was a candied beet, a unique treat that Rolf ate a lot of the time. Nazz sat in-front of Rolf and Edd sat next to her, the lengthy boy smiled at them and gave him a weird wave.

"Hello, sock-on the head Edd boy."

Again Edd found himself lost on what to say to that, so he just gave a quick wave and let Nazz giggle.

She turned to face him after greeting Rolf and he gulped before he looked at her perfectly blue eyes. He had to admit, lately even against his own judgment he found himself falling for the girl he thought didn't even notice him, instead of coming out with the same results as before she was actually showing some interest of her own and it was the most pleasant surprise Edd had ever received in his life. He could really try and get some headway with Nazz,

_Well at least as long as Kevin was gone._

All of a sudden, her eyes weren't as blue as they were before. Her smile seemed a little less alive, and his heart felt that much more heavy in his chest.

The soft whisper that spoke out from the back of his head was correct. She had only started talking to him right after Kevin stopped being an option; he was a back-up for the jock and nothing more than that. A place holder for her to talk to until the one she truly wanted came back and took her away from him.

It wasn't like Kevin would even take her.

She wasn't Edd's to take.

She kept talking but he couldn't focus as well as he had all those times before.

"So, I heard that Ed will be starting his game today after school, I know you and Eddy will be there right?" Nazz asked, her face beaming with excitement.

Edd tilted his head in question and scratched his head. "Game?"

She gave him the same look Eddy would if he thought he had done something completely stupid. "Please tell me you're joking…"

Edd's eyes got wider, and then he smacked his head with his palm loud enough to make a smacking noise. "Ohhhh this is bad….I completely forgot that he would be starting for the game right after the dance."

She Smiled, a teasing one that made the hair on Edd's neck stand on end. "It's ok you were a little distracted at the dance, I guess I can forgive this screw-up."

And in spite of himself Edd smiled. "Tell me about it."

He was able to ease himself back in the steady flow of things after that, and it was as if everything around Nazz just wasn't there anymore, he leaned his elbow on the table and laid his head down on his hand, completely engrossed by her beauty. If he would have been paying any kind of attention whatsoever he would have seen that Kyle was standing at the door of the library with a wicked grin.

"You've got to be kidding me! That idiot has a game today that he's starting in and he didn't even know?!" Eddy's hands where in the air and he completely disrupted the whole class.

Mr. Larson's sighed and shook his head; he was used to Eddy's antics by now. "Is there something you want to say Eddy? Please have it be about computers."

Eddy gave him a wide eyes look before he casually smiled. "Ya, Double-D was trying to make a game for his computer and he wanted to start it today, but just didn't finish it in time." He shrugged and got a heated glare from the hat wearing boy.

Fortunately for Eddy the teacher was pretty gullible so Edd got a little bit of a talking to without being able to defend himself.

"Eddy, sometimes I wonder what goes on through your head when you decide to lie to a teacher like that…" Double-D sighed as they left the room.

Eddy slapped his backpack hard enough to jolt him forward. "Aw suck it up Hamlet! Don't get too emotional on me, you'll be fine." Then he switched his attention to Ed who was counting his teeth. "And you, ya dolt! You have to start a game today so you better make it good out there when we go watch!"

Ed scratched his head and looked at the ground, obviously in some distress. "I-I'll try my best Eddy…"

Eddy groaned but Double-D placed a hand on his shoulder. "Would you like me to take this one?" He got a go ahead and walked beside Ed.

"I think you'll preform very admirably today Ed." He smiled but Ed didn't really seem as if he got what Double-D was trying to say. He sighed and tried re-wording his sentence. "I think that you will be very good out there Ed." He rolled his eyes but pat Ed's back all the same.

When they got to the cul-de-sac they all went their separate ways, Eddy saying he had to pick some things up before he left, even against Double-D's warnings. He waved him off and walked into his house, the first place he looked was the chair that was in-front of the t.v. where his dad was resting, a beer in one hand and the controller in the other. Eddy clenched his fist but kept quietly walking up the stairs and into his room. He looked through his vast wardrobe and picked a long sleeve red shirt and a yellow jacket that had the same red lines as his old shirt (he shopped at the same store a lot) he needed to be warm for this game because he was planning to make his move with Kenzie and holding onto cold hands was horrible, not like he would know though.

He smiled, something about hanging out with that crazy girl made him nervous like never before, but that feeling quickly evaporated to fear when he turned around and his dad was standing at his door, the bottle still in his hand and a glazed look in his eyes.

"…Hmm, whatcha….doin'boy."

He was completely taken aback and took a step backwards the second he saw him, it was a bad move because his dad took another step towards him. "Why'da….do that?"

Eddy was usually good at lying on the spot but he was too shocked to think of something. "N-no reason, you just scared me there. Why not make a little more noise when you decide to creep in." Now that he had gained some sense the cold tone in his voice returned and he clenched his jaw. He needed to think quickly if he didn't want to end up with a broken arm.

"Hey, cant'cha learn to be….more respective towards me…?" He took another step forward and this time Eddy stood his ground, if he wanted to take a swing at him he could.

This was getting bad, he needed to calm down but there was so much rage that it was hard for him to keep his big mouth shut. "I….can try."

His dad got close enough now that he could smell the booze on him, the stench mixed in with his breath made Eddy want to throw up but he kept still and stared straight into the man's eyes. "I don't just….want you to try kiddo." He knew Eddy hated it when he called him that, he just wanted a reason to hit him. He was about to get it.

"I'll try, just as hard as you try to sober up." He waved a hand in-front of his nose to get the smell away. "Which means do nothing at all and keep drinking anyways right dear'ol dad."

He expected what happened next, he really did. When his dad dropped the bottle he had been holding and took a swing at his chest he knew all too well that the explosive pain that was going to come would. Yet it never ceased to amaze him just how hard his father would hit him, to a point that he would scream out loud enough to echo in his house and send him on the floor clutching the rug. He coughed and grit his teeth from the pain, while his dad stood over him with anger in his eyes.

Before he could do anything else he was grabbed and awkwardly slammed into the wall, his arm hitting it with so much force he thought it would break. "Everytime!" He screamed, stomping his foot. "You've always got to have something stupid t'say don't you?!"

He was going to have a comment to that but when he opened his mouth all that came out was another painful cough. His dad dropped him and then mumbled about spilling his beer and walked out, he must have lost his train of thought after beating him.

Eddy didn't move at all while he was on the ground, he sat there with his cheek pressed against the rug and cradling his arm with the other one, he wondered for a split second where his mother was and then abandoned the idea all together, she was probably off hiding somewhere in the house. That is until an icepack hit the ground close to his face and he felt someone looking at him.

He felt like he was supposed to say something, but all he did was get up and kick the bag away from him. "Don't need your help after the fact…"

She just looked at him and shrugged, then turned away and walked out on him. He expected that to happen, she never was one for sticking around places she wasn't wanted. Eddy already felt the pain searing through him but he just needed to hide it until the football game was over and then he could rest for a while, because he had to be there for Ed.

It was his responsibility as the best friend.

The foreboding feeling that he felt while he walked with Nazz stuck with him. Where would she be right now if Kevin was here with them instead of with the other jocks? He looked at her again and she smiled at him, it was a moment of silent bliss for one of them and mental frustration for the other, he needed to be there for Ed but he couldn't do that if he was thinking about Nazz the whole time.

But he kept it to himself.

Because he knew if he asked, she might go away.

She gave him a curious look and tilted her head towards him. "Hey, Double-D, you ok?"

There were too many things going through his head so he just nodded. "Yes, I'm well actually, just mentally preparing myself for watching football, I never thought I'd actually be doing that."

"Ya, I thought the world would blow up before Double-D even saw a football being thrown."

Edd didn't even have to turn around to know who was making fun of him; he just sighed and cracked a smile as Eddy walked beside them. Nazz looked from Edd's shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Eddy.

"Weren't you supposed to pick Kenzie up at her house, where is she?

There was a second where Eddy froze and stood up as straight as he could. "Oh…crap." It was at that moment a rock hit him in the back and he winced.

"You idiot!" Eddy tensed up for a punch; he just hoped it was in his right arm instead of the hurt left.

Then he saw Kenzie walk besides him and blow a stray pierce of hair out of her face in frustration. "You're lucky that Edd called me and told me you were a forgetful idiot or I would have been stood up at my house."

Eddy glared at Double-D . "Why did you call her?!" He pointed at her as if she was just an object and she clenched her fist.

There wasn't much to be said after that, Edd chose to ignore what was being yelled at him and Kenzie held back her fist from connecting with Eddy's shoulder, luckily for him. Edd sat down on the bleachers and prepared himself for what would be a grueling and cold two hours of watching people literally launch themselves at someone else. He didn't understand why someone would put themselves through that kind of pain. For the enjoyment of the game? Or was it to prove that they were tough enough to take such a physical beating. He would never understand sports, games like chess that he was exceptionally good at were quite fun when playing with someone else even when he lost, but these sports took so much out of people that it was ridiculous, he felt a deep respect for people who decided to do sports, to him it was crazy to even try.

"Hey Sock-head! Snap out've it, the games about to start!" Eddy's booming voice veered his attention on the game, he could see Ed running on the field and positioning himself to receive the ball from the person in-front of him. He raised an eyebrow at the words the football player was shouting before he threw the ball to Ed and he backed up to look over at the others who ran in all different directions. Double-D watched in fierce interest as the opposing team fought the other players roughly to get to Ed before he threw the ball between them and one of their players caught it before he was tackled by multiple people. He cringed at the contact but a hand placed itself over his to comfort him enough to settle down and look at Nazz.

She was smiling and nodded her head to the side towards the game. "If you get confused just ask me about anything, I know enough about football to be able to teach you a little."

He smiled at her, his face heating up despite the cold weather. He almost let his previous thoughts slip back to the recessive of his mind but it was too big a thought to just let slide, so when she moved her hand from his and back on her lap he felt that the thought was not disappearing but only cementing itself into his head. He wanted to ask, well actually needed too, but asking would open doors that he wasn't comfortable with, he'd be asking questions that he didn't know the answers too.

He was a logical person.

When faced with a question one must find the solution. Yet he had no idea about the answer to this, he was for once in his life completely and utterly stupefied.

Girls had a way of doing that to him.

Especially Nazz.

While Edd was completely lost within his head, Eddy was living this game up, everyone seemed to be hyped up with him, screaming at the ref when he made a call against them, standing up and making rude gestures to the opposing team's bench, yelling and screaming when they made a touchdown. This was Eddy's kind of place; if it weren't for the deep aching in his side and arm he would have really been able to do a lot more. So far he was able to hide it really well, he kept his injured hand in his pocket and close to his side so when he moved it didn't hurt as much, Kenzie wasn't the wiser to it while Edd was too distracted to pick up on the subtle things he did. He yelled out something else to the ref along the lines of 'what are you blind?' before he was pulled down by Kenzie, she didn't look angry, in-fact there was a smirk on her face, but she was shaking her head.

"That call was for us you idiot."

He looked from the game back to her, completely forgetting what he was yelling at to begin with, he had just heard a whistle and went on from there. He burst out laughing after that and then cringed harshly, grabbing his side and bending over, he was loud enough to get Kenzies attention and she looked him over. "What's wrong with you?" she didn't sound caring in the least, there was no sense of concern, only a question.

He smiled, sweat started collecting on his brow and he wiped it away. "Nothing," He grunted and held his arm tighter to his side. She tilted her head a little but let it go and went back to watching the game with him; he would occasionally switch off from harassing the ref to looking at Kenzie who was now chatting away with Emma and completely ignoring him, cause apparently she was 'so much cooler' her words not his. The girls would cheer whenever Ed did anything at all and they would make weird faces when he messed up, which in this game was a lot, he seemed really nervous out there, Eddy could tell, the guy was easy to read. He would stumble and miss a pass or he would very nearly fumble the ball because he was too busy trying to find the perfect pass. When the coach called a timeout after Ed threw the ball to no one Eddy stood up and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Hey Ed, get out there an' stop making me look bad ya lump! Start playing well so I get something to cheer for!"

By now everyone was looking over at the pretty unimposing boy screaming at one of the players, only his voice was able to cut through all the other noise of the crowd.

Ed looked up at him and even though he was wearing a helmet, Eddy could tell he was smiling.

He sat down.

Just like that.

Simple for them.

Kenzie raised an eyebrow at him, her smile showing through. "And here I thought you didn't care about football."

Eddy was clearly taken aback and shook his head quickly. "'Course I don't! I just don't want him stinkin' it up on the field and making me look bad."

She knew that would be the only answer that Eddy would give so she gave up on it entirely and went back to talking to Emma about school, while Eddy secretly fumed about not getting any attention.

Double-D just watched Eddy for a little and chuckled while he growled and mumbled under his breath about Emma being an attention hog. They waited quite some time before the players got back to the field, giving Edd some time to talk with Nazz about miscellaneous things, teachers, grades, even the school lunch. Even about things like that he still really enjoyed talking to her. It was way better than before when he couldn't even utter a word to her without sweating profusely.

"So Edd what do you think?" She asked while finishing her sentence, it was then that Double-D realized that he had been dreamily staring at her the entire time. She looked at him like she expected an answer, her perfect blue eyes made him blush slightly.

Feeling rude for not listening he scratched the back of his head where a small patch of his hair stuck out. "I'm sorry, could you repeat what you said again, I didn't quite hear you."

She pouted only slightly to his discontent but it was quickly covered by a smile. "I asked if you wanted to go to the movies, I know it didn't work out so well last time." This time there was no blush when she asked him, if it was a good or bad thing he didn't know.

"Of course," He said it a little quietly, she leaned forward only an inch and he could smell the sweet scent of her perfume, something he hadn't noticed the whole time. "Y-yes I would very much like that."

This time he could see her cheeks turn a shade of pink if only for a moment before she turned her head and watched the game again, he was disappointed at her reaction only because even though they had come for the game he had hoped for a little more of a push in their relationship that he had not gotten today. The date (or whatever she thought it was) was a great advance, but he had hoped for a little more.

Before he could turn to look at the game again he heard Eddy's voice in the back of his head.

"_If you want a little more then take it! Stop wimping out!"_

He smiled only a fraction and placed his hand on top of hers, he didn't know where he had gotten the courage for it, but it had felt right, as if he was meant to do it.

She moved her hand.

He clenched his jaw.

Then she slowly started to hold his. Though his hand was cold he could feel the warmth of Nazz's wrap around his and he let out a pleasant sigh. They didn't look at each other, no that would be too much for him at this point, Nazz must have known that because she didn't do anything else that would attract his attention.

Ed threw the ball that lead to the winning touchdown. When Edd stood up with Nazz and screamed for him, their joined hands were held high for everyone to see.

For everyone.

Including a certain angry eyed, fist clenching jock.

**So if I haven't mentioned this is a 2 part chapter. It will be amazing 8) I thought for a coming back for a little while chapter I would have a two part series that I know you guys will like (: seriously I was giddy writing this chapter and since I already know what's about to happen everything is about to hit the fan!**

**Oh yes, shout out to ainmals1 for talking me into making another chapter its mostly cause of her that i set some time from my schedual and did this thank you so much!**

**Please review! It will help trust me it really does (: **


	12. Dorks part 2

**I was able to write this just for you guys even with my busy schedule **** it sucks cause I have to work more hours now that its summer so that's why I haven't been able to upload as much. I hope you guys like this though cause a lot of work went into it, I had to do this while I was half asleep XD**

**I do not own any of the characters in Ed Edd n Eddy. But owning them would make me the coolest cat in the cul-de-sac :P**

** Dorks part 2**

Eddy was considering pushing Emma off of the bleachers. It wouldn't hurt all that much and it's not like Emma could hate him for it; she was too much of a nice girl to hate anyone. She was also a big thorn in his side at the moment, this was supposed to be when Eddy made his move and got some action on with Kenzie, instead they went off chatting about stupid girl things while Edd held hands with Nazz! He had been surprised at first to see them so publically showing off their hand holding, if he wasn't in such a bad mood he probably would have yelled something to embarrass his friend. He looked from Kenzie who was still chatting with Emma, to Ed who was getting thrown around by his teammates after throwing the winning pass. He was being ignored and he didn't like it one bit! He opened his mouth wider to say something about it but Kenzie nudged him with her shoulder. When he looked back at her he swallowed the words he had to say.

She was looking at him with her bright blue eyes and was grinning. "You didn't hear what we were talking about did you?" She wasn't asking him if he was eavesdropping but if he had heard them talking about something important that he should know.

Eddy looked to the side quickly to see if he had actually been paying attention, he cursed himself for not listening. "Nope, I don't have time to listen to girls talk about fashion and junk." He was still a little bitter about being ignored. Then again, this time he had every right to be.

Kenzie's expression didn't dramatically change, instead her smile just got a little wider. "Oh, well then I guess you don't want to know what we were saying about you then."

He groaned, slapping himself in the head. He had fallen straight into this one hook line and sinker, he had to know now. "What did you say about me?!" Instead of admitting defeat he only tried to show more anger.

She didn't take the bait and just shook her finger at him tauntingly. "Nope, that's not how you ask."

Another groan escaped his mouth without him meaning to let it out. "Cmon tell me what you two were saying!" She looked at him with one eyebrow raised and he resisted the urge to push her and Emma off the bleachers. He looked down, defeated and sighed for a long moment. "…please…" it was so quiet that unless someone was paying attention they wouldn't even know he had talked at all.

She smiled, not one a winner would show, but something a lot…..warmer. "Well, you'll have to wait, it's a surprise."

At that point Eddy no longer cared. If she didn't want to tell him fine let her keep the stupid secret from him anyways! He tapped his finger on the bleacher impatiently waiting for when she would tell him. The noise it made wasn't loud but it was a constant one that Kenzie would hear a lot. She sighed at his little antics but let them happen all the same. Eddy kept this up until Ed came rushing out of the locker rooms, he looked up exactly where they were and awkwardly jogged towards them. He was limping and he looked like he had just rolled around in dirt but that was a usual for him so no one was really concerned.

"Eddy! Double-D did'ya see me!? Huh did'ya see me?!" He looked so excited that everyone just smiled at him for a second, than Emma stood up and walked to him.

"Hey how about Kenzie and I we were watching too." She was pouting at him and Ed's already overworked brain momentarily stopped, not in the usual way either. She looked so….cute…like a bunny, except he wasn't allergic to Emma.

"Oh…" Was all he could say at first, then he snapped out of it, shaking his head so his brain could bounce in there for a little. "Did I do good?!"

Double-D groaned at his grammar but Emma just smiled at him. "I thought you were awesome out there, but could you try to get tackled less please, it looked pretty harsh out there."

He nodded at here, partially agreeing. "I know, who'da thunk that tackling could hurt so much," He turned to look at Eddy and Double-D. "Why didn't you tell me it hurt when I jumped on you?"

Eddy clenched his hand and got ready to snap at Ed with all his might. Double-D was able to anticipate it and grabbed his shoulder while speaking quickly. "It's fine Ed, we actually quite enjoy your hugs, no matter how rough they are." It was the right answer because Ed beamed from ear to ear.

Eddy would have given Double-D a knuckle sandwich for interrupting him, but his arm and ribs were only getting worse, he could feel them bruising and turning purple as it was. "Ya ya Ed your hugs make the world go round, can we go now before my hands freeze to my jacket?"

He got no protests, he walked quickly but not fast enough to where Kenzie couldn't keep up with him. "Still mad that I won't tell you huh?"

Eddy barely looked at her but his anger was clearly shown. "What was your first clue?"

He expected her to get mad but again he was surprised to see that she was smiling. "Sorry, but you'll find out when you drop me off at home."

Eddy's teeth were grinding at this point and he opened his mouth to snap at her but was stopped by a hand in his face, her hand to be exact.

"Shut up and just walk me home."

Eddy couldn't remember the last time he was so angry and happy at the same time, he always liked walking Kenzie home but this time he felt like kicking her all the way there. He walked beside her and she leaned against him. "Cmon cheer up and stop looking so mad, makes you look like you don't like hanging out with me."

That did get a little smile from Eddy, even if he didn't want to. "Well let's hurry up, it's cold." He walked for a while with her leaning on him and then she shrugged off and walked in front. His shoulder felt really cold all of a sudden.

She turned to face him, walking backwards and smiling. Eddy looked behind him to see Double-D and Ed take different roads to drop off the girls they walked so it was just him and Kenzie now, something that didn't bother him in the least.

"We finally have some alone time." If it had come from anyone else Eddy would think she was flirting with him, but her tone didn't match up with it, it just sounded like she was stating a fact.

He smiled all the same and shook his head. "And to think I could barely stand you when we were in a group, now I gotta deal with this." He gestured to her with his hands.

"I know, you just can't handle me, its ok ill see if someone else can." Eddy stopped in his tracks but she kept walking, turning around so he couldn't see if she was joking or not.

"W-wait a second!" He quickly blurted out, jogging closer to her. "I never said I couldn't handle you! It'll be easy!" He had said those things so fast that he wasn't able to see the smile on her face.

"Mhm, sure we'll see." She looked at him again and he had to swallow before he could talk, her eyes did that to him sometimes.

"Nope, we don't have to see nothin' we both already know." He gently nudged her, a part of him wanting her approval in this.

She smiled and nudged him back with her shoulder. "Ya you're right, but don't think just because I said this you'll be able to slack off."

He didn't know how he could slack off with this girl but he shrugged and walked faster. "We'll see." All of a sudden the pain he had wasn't as bad; he was barely even paying attention to it. The girl that he was with was definitely enough to distract him from the pain.

They walked all the way to her house without saying much after that, Eddy was a little tired and he could tell by her constant yawning that she was too. When they got to her door she nodded to him and said her thanks. He just shrugged, and told her not to thank him.

"Why not?" She asked, for once actually being serious with her question. "If I don't thank you I feel like you walked me here for nothing."

He shook his head. "Nah, I walked you cause I wanted to, it was mostly selfish anyways. I don't want you thanking me when I'm walking you cause I like to."

She blushed, something subtle that he wasn't able to notice at first. If he hadn't seen the same shade of pink on Double-D's face so much when he was embarrassed he would have sworn it was just her cheeks affected by the cold, but there it was, her blushing because of something he said. He had to replay his words to see if he could do it again but he didn't think he had said anything sweet, why was she blushing?!

He smiled and was about to tease her when he heard someone in the background. "You sure took your time walking here Eddy, to think that you would take the longest." He knew that smart alec tone all too well now.

Eddy turned around to see Double-D and Ed. He pointed at Kenzie with the same teasing smile still on his face. "Well she walks so slow it's hard to get anywhere at all without aging a little."

The blush had completely disappeared now and he was given a wicked glare. He screwed up.

"See if I ever tell you what we were talking about now ya jerk!" She turned around to open the door but again they were interrupted by someone walking from the forest right by Kenzies house.

"Look, told you they'd be over here didn't I Kev." It was none other than Kyle and his followers, Kevin included. Except this time Kevin was the one leading the pack, a scowl on his face that sent shivers down Eddy's spine, it was the same look his father had right before he would go on a rampage.

He looked from one Ed to the other until his eyes fixed on Double-D. "You-!" he hissed, pointing his finger at Double-D. He started walking over to him, cracking his knuckles with the same scowl on his face. He picked Edd up by his shirt and held him so that they were face to face, a little too close for Edd's liking.

"What's the big deal huh? Trying to take Nazz while I'm busy, what kinda guy do you think you are?!" Edd was too scared to say anything he just stared at the enraged Kevin with his mouth open. He had never seen Kevin so angry before, even when they had pulled that awful scam last summer, this moment felt a lot more dangerous than any pounding or beating he had gotten before from Kevin. He tried to talk but no words came out, only inaudible sounds. Kevin pulled his shirt tighter and got a wheeze of pain out of Double-D.

"If you got the guts to try and steal Nazz than you better have to guts to fight for her too." He held Edd with one hand and pulled his other hand back into a fist, punching him in the abdomen and letting him fall to the ground, gasping for air. The sound that escaped his mouth made Eddy and Ed clench their fists. "Wow, I think you've gotten weaker since last summer." He reached to pick him up again but a powerful force shoved him backwards, it was Ed, he didn't look mad at all more worried than anything.

"Y-you're bully!" He stuttered, blocking Double-D from Kevin with his body. While he stood there Kyle and Cody walked up behind Kevin.

"Hey now, it's supposed to be mano y mano here, it's not fair if you join in too big guy." His tone didn't sound threatening but the way he smiled made Ed sweat a little. "Here if you want to go to why not add Cody to the mix too." He nodded and Cody jumped forward, grabbing Ed's arms and pushing him backwards, Ed had size on Cody but he was still pretty strong. He was able to push Ed so that he landed on his butt, Ed might have been strong but he was no fighter, he scooted back on his backside and gulped at Cody laughed.

"Dude this guy is such a chicken it's hilarious!" His mocking didn't bring out any anger in Ed, but Eddy's fists only tightened.

Kevin laughed along with Kyle and took another step towards Double-D who was still too shocked about what was going on to move. He stared up at an imposing Kevin, he reached forward to grab his shirt again and he shuffled to move, but before Kevin could get a hold of him he was pushed to the side once again, this time enough to launch him on his back. Eddy stood over Kevin now, an even angrier scowl on his face as he looked down at the surprised Kevin.

He charged again and used all his body weight to tackle Cody off of Ed; he rolled with him and fell awkwardly on his arm. He screamed in pain and hugged it, rolling over a couple more times. Before he could get back up someone forcefully grabbed him and pulled him up, it was none other than Kevin.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kevin breathed in his face and Eddy turned away from him.

"Your breath stinks, probably why Nazz doesn't like ya no more." It was the same kind of talk he would give to his dad and it earned him the same result, a punch to the gut this time though. He fell back on the ground and gagged a couple times before he looked up to see Kevin staring down at him.

Kyle walked over him as well and Eddy ground his teeth to keep the pain in his arm and chest at bay. "Who is this guy, Eddy right?" Kyle asked sarcastically.

Kevin shook his head and smiled. A wicked one that Eddy didn't know he could show. "Nope, he's just a dork like the other ones."

Everything seemed to stop at that moment. That word had hit harder than any punch Kevin or the other jocks could throw. All three of them had fought so hard, did so much to avoid that label for it to come crashing back at them in one moment. Something inside Eddy seemed to crack in that moment, it wasn't something audible by the rest of the people there but Eddy could hear it loud and clear, a snapping noise that drowned everything else out. He could and would never forgive Kevin for this moment. That word, that one word didn't deserve forgiveness.

He fell to his side and laid there while his other two friends stared, transfixed as if the word was some kind of spell.

He had given up; he would take whatever beating came to him. That word had taken him down.

Kenzie started to run forward but someone else came from the woods and whistled to get their attention.

"How about you guys leave, unless you want to fight someone who could whoop all your guy's butts single handedly." It was Allen; he stood tall with his fists clenched and angry eyes staring his former friends down.

"Cmon, let's go." Kevin stared Allen down, he had only come here for Double-D but now these other people were getting in their way, he didn't want that. He walked away with the jocks towards Kyle's place.

They had been gone for quite a while but the three Ed's sat where they had been.

It took a while for the anger to rush into Eddy, so quickly that it was painful, it felt as if molten poison was rushing through his system and he quickly got up, shouting as loud as he could.

"SHOVEL CHIN!" But by then the boys had been long gone and he was just yelling at air.

A tear fell from one of his eyes and he quickly rubbed it out. Trying to stop the rest of them from running down his face as well. He heard Kenzie and Allen in the background helping Double-D and Ed up to no avail. They just ended up sitting back down, Ed rocking back and forth and Double-D cupping his face in his hands and sniffing.

Allen left quickly, saying he needed to get home or his parents would kill him but he did get a pat on the shoulder from Eddy, a great sign of respect for someone like him to give to someone else, Allen was a good guy in his books.

Eddy felt Kenzie's hand touch his shoulder. "Hey, you ok. You can stay over if you guys want my parents aren't home."

He shrugged her off and shook his head. He wasn't trying to be a jerk but he couldn't help it, he was just so angry that it hurt and he wasn't used to hurting like this before.

It was completely different then the physical pain.

Kenzie seemed to understand because she stayed quiet for a while and watched as the three got up and started walking home, before Eddy could leave completely she hugged him and kisses his cheek, something that would have felt like heaven if not for the circumstances. He hugged her back and gave her a small smile.

"We'll be fine, don't worry about it." The words sounded hallow to both of them but they had to be said, it helped just a little for Eddy.

She nodded a sad expression on her face and Eddy walked away swearing to himself that he would fix that sad face of hers. It would have to wait though; he had a different problem to deal with. He had to figure out how to cheer his friends up.

They all walked into Edd's house without saying anything. They quietly got ready, got their pajamas on that had been left there from previous visits, and sat down in the living room watching t.v. Eddy on the ground and Double-D and Ed on the sofa.

"This movie really sucks, what are we even watching?" Eddy asked as he rolled on his back and stared at the ceiling, none of them were actually watching the movie but he needed to say something.

Double-D looked at the movie for a while before he answered. "It seems to be a ci-fi movie, this is more Ed's expertise than mine."

Ed who was feeling happy at being called an expert at something looked up from the pillow he was laying on. "It's wrath of the monkey fish." His voice didn't sound as excited as it usually would.

They sat there again for a while without talking, this time Ed breaking the silence. "Are we really dorks…?" The question was what they were all thinking but just didn't have the nerve to say out loud. Luckily for them Ed didn't really know what nerve was.

"By actual definition we are by no means a dork." Edd concretely stated. "But for some people like Kevin and the jocks of that clique, we might as well be." There was a big undertone to what he was saying.

Eddy scoffed and shook his head. "Who cares what those jock idiots think, we are not dorks, let'em think what they want."

Edd shook his head at his stubborn friend and sighed. "Most of the social group's they hang out with seems to care what they think and their group is extensively larger than our own." He didn't know why but this conversation was starting to upset him, it brought up a subject he never thought he'd have to relive.

"I like our group though; we should stick with all of'em." Ed cut in, putting his own opinion in it.

Edd turned to him with a questioning look on his face. "What makes you think that they won't take our friends like they took Kevin hm?" He turned to Eddy and his face changed to one of more anger. "Or who's to say they won't cast us aside for the allure of the in-crowed and leave us for naught like before?" His voice was slowly increasing now, he had to let this out or it would destroy him. "And how could we possibly know what will happen now that I've induced the wrath of the popular kids, now that it's my fault that you both will take the punishment for my mistake!?" He broke down and covered his face with his hands, he took ragged breaths and couldn't control himself, he didn't even notice Ed hugging him and rocking him back and forth.

It took some time for him to stop and when he did he looked over at a solemn Eddy. "Do you know how long it took you to finally get this far with Nazz? A long fricken time. And if taking some harsh words from Kyle and his goons is all it's gonna cost us than I'll take it." He turned towards Edd and smiled, a small one that hadn't been on his face before. "Cause if being with Nazz is anything like you make it out to be with all your fancy words, than I can take the pain for ya."

Double-D sniffed and looked over at Ed. "D-do you feel the same way too Ed?"

Ed nodded quickly and smiled. "A'course I do! You look happy when you're with Nazz so it's ok, cause even if Kevin and them are mean we still have each other." He hugged Edd tighter and he let out a wheeze. "And that's all I need!"

Double-D didn't let himself cry this time, he was tired of always being the one to cry and being the one that had to be consoled, he would need to help Eddy and Ed out just as much as they did him.

To do that he would have to leave Nazz alone, even if it was against their wishes. It was at that time that he was flicked hard in the head.

"Stop thinkin' about it, just go see her, we'll figure this out like we always do." Eddy sternly said, giving him another small flick as he talked.

He nodded and held his arms out. "Come here Eddy, I want to show you my gratitude."

Eddy slowly backed up with his hands up. "Nope, I'm good, what is your hat to tight around your brain?"

But the smile that Eddy didn't like was still on his friends face. "Come now Eddy, give Ed and I a hug." He got off the couch and hugged Eddy before he could get away, as he tried to pry himself off Ed came out again and hugged him tightly enough to keep him in place.

"Let go you behemoth!" He struggled but there was still a smile on his face and he wasn't actually trying to push them off as hard as he could. He laughed as they hugged him and even made his usual comments about Ed's stink but it was all in fun in the end.

After the so called hug fest was over (what Eddy called it) they played video games until they all fell asleep in the living room, something that Edd usually didn't condone.

They all woke up broken hearted, but still rejuvenated. They all groggily woke up and walked over to the bus stop like every morning. Like all the others Kevin wasn't there, but Nazz was and she walked up to him with a lot of spunk in her step.

"Hey Double-D, how are you?" Even though she looked so beautiful, even though she looked excited to see him, her face only reminded him of the events that happened, right here right now he could just not talk to her and everything would be the same again.

He just looked at her, trying to decide what to do when Eddy came in out of nowhere. "He's fine, just brain dead as you can see." He knocked on his head and when Double-D looked at him he gave a reassuring smile, the same one he gave whenever he was confident things would get better.

Double-D would usually believe in that smile, but there was something wrong with it, there was no way this could end up being good for them. They would get hurt.

They would feel pain.

He couldn't give them more than they already had, but he knew not talking to Nazz wouldn't fix that now, he had put them in a hole that he had dug for them himself. He hated himself.

He smiled for Nazz's sake and started talking to her all the way to school. It should have been enjoyable but he kept feeling like a horrible person for putting his friends in danger for his own selfish love interest. When he said his goodbyes to her and went to their shared locker he half expected Kyle or Kevin to show up and torture them some more but they didn't show.

He waited for them to get them at the lunchroom but they didn't come there either. In-fact they hadn't come to school at all after the incident of the previous day. Allen stayed close by like before to help, he was even right outside the door after school had been over. That's when Eddy put on one of the angriest faced Edd could remember.

"You!" He hissed, running up and pushing Allen backwards, not hard enough for him to fall but it was still a rough push. "Why didn't'ya tell me that Double-D was gettin' picked on!" Then he turned to Edd and gave him the same face from before. "And you didn't even tell me you were getting picked on! You lied to me!"

It was as if this realization had just occurred to him and he was venting now. Edd had to admit he was a little impressed on how long Eddy was able to sustain a grudge. "I did not lie to you. I merely withheld the truth so that it wouldn't bother you." Before Eddy could rant again Edd held his hand up. "I realize now that what I did, or rather didn't do was wrong I should have come to you and Ed with my problem and I will if this ever occurs again."

Eddy liked the answer and turned back to Allen who was trying to sneak away. "And what do you got to say for yourself!"

Allen shook his head quickly and gulped. "No wait, you see Double-D didn't want me telling you guys about what was going on, so I just kept it on the down low."

Eddy considered what he said, his face contorted in a thinking pout. Then he just pushed him again. "Ya, well next time tell me or you're the one I'm gonna beat up next!"

Allen agreed and Edd practically got the same line so he was forced to agree as well, upsetting Eddy after what had happened would be even worse than upsetting Kevin, but it did help the mood a little and gave everyone something to smile about, if anyone was watching they would probably think he was doing that on purpose to get everyone happy again.

School ended on a sour note, their status with Kevin still wasn't completely determined seeing as he wasn't at school. If he was going to bully them then they would need to see it happen to retaliate or to do something about it at least. They were in the dark about it for now though and would have to find out after the weekend.

The three boys went to Edd's house and reflected on what had happened that day. Nothing big besides Nazz talking to Edd a lot more than usual. Especially about how they were supposed to go to the movies. It was frightening but Double-D was a little more prepared than he would have if he had never gone with her to the dance or bonded with her so much.

What made Edd extremely nervous was what would Kevin do if he found out about the date, how much angrier could he get?

He looked over at his friends as they tried to cook something up (while failing miserably) they looked happy but he could tell there was something bothering them, it was a sense that only brothers had. He sighed, staring down at the clean carpet, how much more pain could he cause them?

He knew that if Kevin found out about the movies there would be consequences that would involve not only his friends, but also Nazz and the other girls. So far only Kenzie had known what happened and Allen made sure to tell her not to tell anyone about what had happened and she reluctantly agreed. Eddy knew he was going to get an earful for it and complained about it frequently, just another thing Edd felt bad about.

He still watched as they finished making the scrambled eggs, something that should have been easy for anyone but for his two adopted brothers was probably one of the more difficult tasks. They sat down and started eating, without thinking Double-D joined them and ate quietly along with them.

The only sound that could be heard was the sharp clinging noise of forks hitting plates, until Eddy decided to talk.

"Ok, first up, when you get to the movies pick one that ya haven't seen so you don't blurt out the ending like you always do." He pointed his fork at the surprised boy.

Ed looked up from scarfing his food and started talking anyways. "Amf brung flowuers." He happily included, his mouth full of eggs.

Double-D listened to the advice that they gave with a small smile on his face. Even with all that was going on and all the things that were bound to happen they still had the mind to give him advice about his date. Kevin would hurt them, he would probably hurt them more than anyone else could, but they would take it, they would take whatever he threw at them and get past it as brothers. After they were done talking Double-D put his fork down and raised his eyebrow.

"Please tell me how both of you know more about dates than I do?"

Eddy and Ed started laughing and Double-D went back to eating his runny eggs. They had messed up badly on the preparation of the food.

He didn't mind though, the memory that came with them was better than the bad taste.

**This is either the last or second last chapter as freshmen for them **** I think it's the second to last the last chapter I've been debating on whether to put it in now or to save it for the next year in high school, I know right this freshman year has used up a lot of chapters XD expect soft more year to be longer though. :D**

**If I can get 5 more reviews by 7/15/13 by at least 3 different writers ill make the next chapter by 7/20/13 that way I get some new reviews I feel like you guys hate me ;3; haha jk just being selfish :P**


	13. No longer fresh meat

**Ah the sweet feeling of working on a chapter bit by bit and re-reading it to make sure I didn't talk about 50 thousand different things in one chapter, well I kind of did here but for a reason, this I think is the last chapter for them being freshman. If you want a summer chapter I can make one or two but you have to send me a mail about what you want it to be or review it for me and tell me what you want.**

**So without further talk from the boring author here is your chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ed Edd n Eddy characters. Or I would…you know be like famous.**

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><p><strong>No longer the fresh meat<strong>

Ed stood his ground in-front of the imposing senior who had more height, weight, and strength than even him. He was in his crouched position with the older boy mirroring his stance, they were staring each other down through their helmets with only one of them smiling. Carson seemed very pleased, even his body posture wasn't as stern as Ed's was, he simply seemed to soak in the moment for as long as he could before the whistle blew and they charged at each other with everything they had. When they crashed into one another there was a loud cracking noise and grunts from both people involved. They were testing one another one last time before practice ended, before pretty much everything ended. Ed put everything he had into pushing but it wasn't enough against a more seasoned veteran of the game, he found his footing and practically shoved Ed backwards a couple steps before he launched at him again and the same cracking noise was heard, even as he was slowly getting closer to the line he noticed how long it actually took him to get there, so when he had finally lost both of them were sweating profusely.

"At a boy Ed! Looks like you've gotten way stronger than before!" Carson put his arm around the freshman and held him close. "Remember when I used to knock you over in the first go?" Even though it was embarrassing remembering all the time's Ed would charge at him only to end up on his butt it still brought back good memories of football practice.

They would all be over soon. They would part ways and probably never see each other again, that really saddened Ed and he would have voiced this if Carson wouldn't have smacked his helmet so hard against his that he felt a little dizzy.

"Don't be sad that I'm leaving ok, it will make me cry." It was the first serious thing that Ed had heard come from the usually sarcastic Carson, he leaned forward and put his helmet against Ed's close enough to where he could see Carson's sad eyes. "We weren't able to win it all this year, just win the championship one of your years ok, I'll come to every game so you'll see me."

Ed nodded, trying not to cry in-front of his senior friend, he wanted to look like he was ready for whatever came his way, no that wasn't true, he just wanted to look like someone Carson could be proud of. So he held himself there while Carson hit his helmet and walked off. The second Carson had turned around Ed could of sworn he heard a sniff, the problem was he didn't know if it had been him or the senior who had made the noise.

Eddy turned the corner as he sprinted past everyone to get to Mrs. Snider's class; for once he was actually excited to go because this would be the last time he ever have to see that sorry excuse for a teacher! He could barely contain himself when he walked inside the room; he had planned this all out. He would walk in; throw the papers she gave him for yesterday's assignment in the air, and watch as they scattered to the floor, complete, but on the floor. Oh he couldn't wait! He opened the door with a wide smirk on his face that was pointed directly to the person behind that dreadful desk.

Except, it wasn't the teacher he expected, it was a sub.

He ground his teeth when he sat down. Even when he knew he would win that women found a way to ruin it for him. The sub was nice, they didn't do anything all day and just sat back focusing on the clock and waiting for the next class to start so they could re-due the process. Eddy blankly looked at a poster that he hadn't remembered ever seeing in the class, not that he looked around much with Mrs. Snider glaring holes in people's heads. That's when the memory of what happened the same morning came rushing back to him and he practically glared at it. While he was staring off into space someone tapped his shoulder, he ignored it for a while. Until the tapping finally broke his complete concentration on the inspirational poster.

"What!" He hissed at the culprit of the pokes, it was Ed, usually he would be greeted by a blank face or a big smile from the larger boy but he looked a little glum. "What's wrong with'ya?" Eddy leaned his head on his hand, giving his friend his full attention.

Ed looked at him with his usual sad eyes that would make anyone's heart melt, but he had forgotten how hard Eddy's could get when he was in a foul mood. "I don't want school to end." It was a simple statement that held a lot more too it then Eddy could think of at that moment. That's why all he thought about was how stupid that statement sounded.

"What do'ya mean you don't want school to end?!" He was so loud that some of the other kids around them looked up at the two boys. "School sucks! Always has always will, and you want it to keep going, what's wrong with ya?!"

Ed was pretty hurt by the outburst but took the words as they came to him, no matter how loud they were. He played with his fingers as he listened to Eddy let his anger out on him.

"You're the one that always sleeps in class, how the heck are you the one who wants to stay here? That's something I would expect from Double-D!"

At the calling of his overused nickname Edd turned around from talking to the substitute and looked at not only a sad Ed but a usual angry faced Eddy, who had his hands in the air and was yelling down at the taller boy. He walked over quickly and shushed Eddy before he spoke. "Now, now, there is no reason to be so loud in class." He pat Ed on the shoulder to get his sad gaze from the desk. "What's wrong Ed?"

Before he could talk Eddy spoke up and sat back down with his arms crossed. "The dolt doesn't want school to end; I've never heard him sound so stupid, even when he answers a question in class." He started mumbling about something else then and didn't even look in their direction.

Double-D gave Eddy a stern look before he turned to Ed and pat his head, feeling his fuzzy hair. "I'm very proud of you Ed, I also don't want school to end, but it was a fun experience while it lasted wasn't it?" He waited for Ed to shake his head and he smiled. "So, next year will be even better as well." But when Ed didn't shake his head again Double-D could feel the pit in his stomach grow just a little.

"Next year won't have the seniors in it." He sighed deeply, and continued to look at the ground, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Double-D, and especially Eddy who looked over at him.

Double-D went from giving Ed a sad look to giving Eddy an even angrier look for yelling at him before he realized why he was so sad. They exchanged mixed expressions as they silently yelled at each other so that Ed couldn't hear their personal squall. Finally after Edd gave Eddy two more stern looks and gestured his head towards their glum companion Eddy moaned loudly and put his hand on his large shoulder.

"Ok don't get all mopey now, I'm just in a bad mood, Kenzie's been on me about not spending time with her and its gettin' to me." He lied; while he pat his shoulder again so Ed could look at him and then he smirked at the big guy, one that showed everything was all right.

Ed looked up at him and gave him a big smile, but it wasn't one he would usually give, it was one that he would show his parents to make them stop yelling at him, or make his sister feel better at home. Eddy smacked him on the back of the head and gave him an angry look. "Don't give me that fake smile crud! I want the real deal or nothin' at all. Just be happy you got me and Edd with ya, as long as we got one another it's all golden." He hit him on the shoulder hard enough to hurt anyone else, but to Ed it felt like a nudge. "You can always talk to them on your cellphone; Double-D's parents spent the money for a reason, might as well use it."

Ed slowly shook his head and felt glad that he had come to Eddy for advice, for some time now Eddy had been the one that they would go to for emotional help and he would answer all their questions in the only way he could, in a mean brotherly way, he liked having a mean brother.

"Ok Eddy, this is my real smile!" He smiled wider, this one for real, showing both Eddy and Edd before the bell rang and they began packing. Ed leading the way with a little more pep in his step as his newfound mean and comforting brothers followed him.

Eddy lagged behind for once, his head in a different place as he rudely bumped into some of the people who rushed passed him, he couldn't care less about the names he was being called, all he cared about was the writing on the outside of his locker in the morning when he had gotten there. He had come earlier with Allen for a little 'freshman prank' as Allen called it. Their plan was simple, put some of Eddy's homemade stink bombs in the seniors lockers as one last goodbye before they all left, but the plan had been side tracked when they walked past Eddy's locker only to find the words 'Dork's for days' written on it in black sharpie, it had taken some time to clean it off, with Allen's help of course, but afterwards when they had put the stink bombs in the lockers and Allen had left. Eddy went back to the locker and stared at it for a while. If he looked carefully he could still see the outline of some of the words. Of course Dorks was most plainly seen.

In an act of momentary rage he kicked the locker next to his hard enough to send a small jolt of pain up his foot and to his ankle. Not that it mattered to him, he wanted to do more, he wanted to punch the locker until it no longer existed, until it was so dented it was completely useless. Kevin had been standing right where he was writing something to hurt not only him but his two best friends. If anything he just wanted to punch that shovel chinned jock until he felt the same pain that Eddy felt in his heart.

He spluttered a small laugh as he stood there alone in the hallway. "Wow that sounded a lot better in my head, dang author making me sound all sappy." He stood there for a while, chuckling all the way to the bus stop.

He had more time to think about what Kevin had done and it just made him so much angrier that he had spent so much time with him before. It had gone from him wanting to hang out with Kevin all hours of the day to wanting to knock his teeth in and leave it at that, but Kevin never showed himself and anyways, if he fought him he would feel too much like his dad, solving everything with violence as if that was the only answer. It probably wasn't but then again he didn't know any other option at this point.

"Eddy are you listening to me?" He heard Double-D ask, almost as if he was worried, it was that tone that had taken him out of his thoughts.

"What, no I wasn't, what were ya saying?" Eddy looked up at them with mild interest, his thoughts only making him slightly more angry.

Double-D gave him a careful glance; one that he knew all too well, he was looking Eddy over to see what was wrong. He hated that glance.

"I was just wondering if you would like to come with us to wish the seniors a farewell at Emma's brother's party." The look went away when he talked, but Eddy knew that his worrying wouldn't end there.

He thought about it for a second, Nike was Emma's brother and he did know a lot of seniors, it did make sense that he would have a goodbye party. "Ya why not, I need to blow off some steam anyways." He shrugged, looking from one friend to the other as they watched him. He just walked past them. "Come'on lets go before I get yelled at for you two being late….again."

That's when he heard a small popping noise and a rotten stench cloud the halls; he couldn't help but laugh then.

Even though Eddy was in a bad mood he still had fun joking around with the teachers and relaxing in class for once. He even smiled a couple times after his teachers got all sappy about how they would miss their students, sure he knew it was a bunch of baloney but he would let himself believe it for a while. He was pretty much the same old Eddy while school was in. He was even excited to hear about how they would show embarrassing pictures of the seniors for their graduation ceremony the next day. What really got him laughing though was how they got to pick some of the senior pictures that they wanted to see.

"No way! You're telling me that Tyson used to be in ballet!?" Eddy was already falling out of his chair just as he finished that sentence, on the floor hitting his fists against the carpet. "This is too good! Wait'll I see him and tell him about this!" He had switched positions and was now on his back, clenching his sides.

Edd didn't seem very happy about his laughter. "Laughing at one's past hobbies is very rude Eddy; the art of ballet is a very trying task for anyone." Even as he talked Eddy's laughter kept coming, until it was almost contagious and he found himself giggling a little.

Nazz shook her head and nudged Double-D to get his attention. "And here I thought you could keep him in line, turns out you're sinking down to his level." Edd turned to her with an ashamed look until he saw that she too was smiling.

"Well, I guess hypercriticism loves company because I think I see a little smile on you as well." He pointed to her lips, which he really couldn't stop staring at.

She looked away ashamed as well but still was smiling. "Well you know how Eddy can get, it's hard not laughing when he is sometimes." At the mentioning of his name they both looked at him and started laughing all over again, not trying to hide it from one another.

Double-D was the first to finish his laughter and had to wipe a tear out of his eye. "I feel terrible for laughing, Eddy I put the blame on you for this one!" Even though he was out of breath he still had the strength to give an accusing point at a red faced Eddy.

Nazz was the next to finish. She shook her head and took shallow breaths. "I feel so bad for poor Tyson when Eddy sees him today." That was a tell-tale sign that Nazz had been invited to the party too, which was a very good thing for Edd.

"Please don't be too hard on him Eddy, he is about to graduate and I'd really like for him not to be embarrassed too badly." Edd advised, as he got the paleish color in his face again.

Nazz elbowed him, not hard enough to hurt but it did sting a little. "You said not 'too' badly, does that mean you're ok with this Double-D, how could you?"

Edd smiled and gently pushed her with his hand, he was glad he was able to do that in comfort. "Sometimes, even I condone a little play embarrassing from time to time." He was actually quite entertained to see how Tyson would react to Eddy's new discovery.

Nazz shook her head. "I knew it; you're just as bad as Eddy."

In the past that might have offended him slightly, now though, he felt like that was a compliment.

"He rubbed off on me pretty well."

Eddy got on his favorite shirt, one that he had stolen from his brother's closet, a black shirt with blue, techno like lines going through it. He would have to look pretty good for this party if he wanted to impress the seniors before they went their separate ways, during the year he had made himself into somewhat of a fun freshman. People would talk to Ed about the football game or something and because of that they saw Eddy, a cocky freshman who everyone thought was cute because he was just so confident in himself. He got to talk to a lot of older people because of that, not like any were his friends though so it was pretty easy saying goodbye to them.

His cellphone started to vibrate and he checked the screen before he picked it up. It was Kenzie who was calling and as if it was second nature he answered it.

"I'm just making sure you actually remember to pick me up this time." She already sounded mad and he hadn't even messed up yet.

He grinned to himself; he just couldn't help but tease her. "Sorry, who is this?" He tried to keep his snickering down but he didn't think he did a good job of it.

He heard her sigh a little and he could imagine her covering her face with her hand. "Oh, this is the girl who is planning on leaving you alone tonight." There was a little edge to her voice, something he was use to by now.

It took him a while to realize she could be serious and he spoke quickly. "Ya well ill pick you up soon I just left, he walked down his hallway and passed his mom, moving out of the way quickly while she eyed him.

"Who are you looking all fancy for?" She asked, not loud enough to catch his sleeping dad's attention.

He turned around only for a second to listen to her question and then as if she had never asked, went back towards the door, continuing to talk to Kenzie. "No, wait really I'll be there in like five minutes will you just hold your horses." As he closed the door he took one secret glance up at his mom, and she was smiling, for some reason that made him smile too.

He idly talked to Kenzie while he walked, after a while he saw Double-D and Ed walk next to him and he hi-fived them both while he talked with Kenzie. He felt pretty calm for once until he saw a broken spatula on the ground near the junkyard and then he stopped in his tracks immediately, telling Kenzie something came up and he'd be a little late. While he hung up the phone he burst backwards and practically started sprinting in that direction, without talking Double-D and Ed followed, barely keeping the boy in their sights.

He ran to the junkyard without breaking his stride, he didn't stop until he was just outside the trailer park and then stood there, waiting for his friends to come. He had to wait a little longer then he would have liked but eventually they came.

"My word Eddy….what has gotten…into you?" Edd said between gasps of breath after he tried to collect himself. He hadn't realized where they were until he looked around, confused at what was going on. "Why, did you run here?" There was no anger to his voice, or fear like there would have been in the past, he was simply asking a question.

Ed answered, looking over at the trailer that he knew all too well. "The Kanker's always liked parties."

Eddy nodded and took a couple of steps towards it. "That they did skunk pits, that they did." He started walking slowly while they followed behind him closely.

Edd could feel an emotion now that he was getting closer, a pretty strong one that spread through his stomach like wild fire. Fear, not of the Kanker's or what they might do to them, but what they might find when they opened the door. They had sworn to help but always kept themselves away because they would rather have the old image of the scary cootie carrying Kankers then what they had become now, it was simple that way.

But it wasn't helping them anymore.

And he realized that now.

Maybe this feeling in his stomach was more than just fear of the new Kanker's.

Maybe it was guilt too.

They walked to the door and Eddy knocked on it three times, not loud enough to draw any attention, but solid enough to make noise in the trailer for anyone that was there. They waited for some time and Eddy knocked louder, less timid than before and they heard rustling. In that moment they all could have ran, and they all felt like they should, but they didn't, they stood their ground and waited until the door opened.

"We…didn't order no pizza." It was May who had opened the door, her blonde hair frizzy and cluttered around her face. Her eyes where closed and she didn't even realize who was there until she opened one. "Oh, umm w-what are you doing here?" She didn't sound mean when she said that, instead she sounded more scared, backing away from the door and looking around at what must have been where her sisters were. "Lee, Marie, wake up!" She called, looking over at the spots again.

Edd looked down to see that Eddy's fists were clenched and Ed was shaking slightly. They must have been feeling just as guilty as he was, they were partially responsible for this but they all just swept it under the rug.

Eddy burst into the room without even looking at May, the other boys quickly followed to see that the other two girls where sleeping on the couch and floor. As they slowly opened their eyes and looked up at them in shock.

"There's a party today, you girls are coming with." Eddy tonelessly said, looking from the bottles on the floor to the overwhelming stench of alcohol in the trailer.

They continued to look at them for a while before Lee finally answered. "Why?" It was a simple question, but depending on how it was answered could open up so many different doors that it scared Double-D on how Eddy might respond.

"'Cause you should go, not like we see you a lot at school." Eddy had chosen to be more aggressive, Double-D could already feel the anger coming off of him, not at the Kankers, but at himself.

Lee stood up, her once beautiful red curly hair that she was so proud of hung loosely down her face now and even down to her back. It was a weird look, seeing her like that, the red in her hair just looked so, dull.

"Why should we come with you to some dumb party?" There was no stench of alcohol in her breath, which was something positive Edd noticed, but she did sound a little angry, a little hurt.

Eddy raised his hands in the air, gesturing to the whole room. "It's a lot better then what you're doing now!" He was returning the anger now; he was always bad at keeping his emotions in check.

Lee stood up now to face him, Eddy could see her eyes squinted towards him, she was just as angry as he was now. "Maybe this is what we like huh?! Not like you were here to know anything about us now!"

The comment bit a little but it was true, that was what made it hurt so much. "Well we are trying now, so come with us or you could just sit here and rot!" He pointed back to the couch where Lee had been sleeping.

She bared her teeth and clenched her fists at him. How dare he come in and judge her like this, just show up out of the blue and yell at her about some stupid party. "We don't want to go with you!" She yelled more out of anger than anything. "You don't know us anymore, how the heck ya know if we're rotting or not!?"

Eddy's fists clenched even tighter than they were now, flashes of memories from his mother starting to drink to his father always on the chair in the living room smoking and drinking as if it were a perfect pastime. "Because I've seen way too many people rot in-front of me and it aint happening to you three!" He screamed out, not only looking at Lee this time but the other two sisters. They looked at him with more surprise then anything, Eddy didn't yell like that, ever. "Especially not you three." He added in almost a whisper, he just felt like they needed to know that.

The room was quiet for a while before Lee slowly nodded her head. "Ok, you know what that actually sounds like a plan." She wasn't smiling but she walked out of the living room and into their shared room, her sisters waiting for a while too, looking at the boys and then quickly followed behind.

Eddy sat down on the couch and put his head in his hands, he took a long breath. He felt a large arm hold him close to a warm body and another gently pat his shoulder. For some reason those gestures from his friends made him feel tired.

"You did a very good thing here Eddy." He could hear Double-D's soft voice through the many that were in his head.

He just grunted in response and they all waiting a while before the three girls finally came back. When Eddy looked up he had to admit it was worth the wait.

All three of the girls looked very very nice. Lee had kept her hair down but made it look a lot better than how it had looked before, the red looking a lot more vibrant in her hair. She wore a plain white shirt with jeans, something that Eddy had expected, it was plain just like she was and he respected that about her. Marie had her hair combed and her bangs hung over one of her eyes like usual, but she wore her black tang top and long black baggy jeans, she hadn't stopped looking like a ruffian to Edd but it didn't bother him nearly as much as it did when he was younger, he actually quite liked the look on her. Lastly May stood behind the others, looking the most shy out of all of them, she was the only one wearing a dress, it was a red dress that went to her knees and a grey t-shirt, not very fancy at all but that was fine to Ed.

"You ready to go yet or are we just gonna stand here all day." Marie finally spoke up after the boys had just been sitting on the couch.

"O-of course, the party is about to start we should get a move on before we are late." Double-D cleared his throat, momentarily stunned by their beauty.

As they left the trailer Eddy hit his hand over his head. "Oh crap! I gotta go!" Before anyone could ask why he dashed off towards the field, leaving the Ed's outnumbered by the Kankers.

Lee tilted her head as he ran off and put her hands in her pocket. "Where's he off to?"

Double-D didn't really know how to answer that question and didn't really want to. "I think he is going to meet someone." He wasn't lying and Lee seemed to accept the answer because she just shrugged and nodded.

Ed turned around and walked backwards as he stared at the girls. "You all look very pretty. Kinda like the girls in my comics." Double-D had always told him to tell girls they looked nice, he was being a gentleman even though his compliment didn't really make much sense.

May was the only one to really blush at his compliment. While Marie was the only one to answer. "Thanks big guy, but you don't got to compliment us if we don't look good, we just threw this stuff on."

Double-D turned his head in their direction without really looking at them. "Simple beauty is still beauty, the fact that you are able to look nice in anything is a very useful trait, one that you'll have to teach me." They laughed at that and Edd felt good for lightening the moment just a little.

"It's something you're born with Double-D, if you don't got it now I don't know if I can help you." Marie was just poking fun at him and he knew that, but it still felt new to him how they actually talked to each other.

"No Double-D you look pretty too!" Ed shout out quickly, making the girls laugh like crazy and even put a smile on Edd's face.

He pat him on the shoulder and shook his head slowly. "I would prefer to be handsome over pretty if that's ok with you Ed."

Ed didn't really get what was so funny but he laughed anyways and smiled at Double-D. "Okey dokey smokey."

Fortunately after that they were all able to talk to each other as if they were all long lost friends. Talking about old times and dumb scams that went wrong, which was actually really fun for all of them even as they got to the party.

Eddy and Kenzie were there to greet them; they all introduced themselves properly this time instead of it being like before at Kenzies house, if there was any tension between the girls and the Kankers than Eddy didn't know about it. They all walked in as a big group and went over to talk to the seniors, everyone getting a big laugh when Eddy confronted Tyson about the ballet picture.

"Dude that was like eight years ago!" Tyson was trying to defend himself in-front of everyone. "I didn't even take it the full year!"

Eddy wagged his finger and snickered even more. "Nope, no way im'a let you get outta this one!" The banter continued and everyone had a really good time. Even Nike, the usual solemn boy.

Ed walked around the party, looking for a certain senior. Carson hadn't seemed to come to the party, which left him quite glum, but Emma showing up always made him feel a little better.

She leaned against him and looked up at the tall boy. "Double-D told me that you are really going to miss Carson. It'll be ok, he just doesn't like being emotional, he probably didn't want to come because he didn't want to cry in-front of his favorite freshman."

Ed looked down at her and a small smile formed on his face. "Do you really think I was his favorite freshman?"

She nodded and then leaned forward, kissing his cheek. "You're my favorite freshman too you know?"

He didn't think he could turn as red as laser beams in his comics but he was wrong about that.

The Ed's made sure to give some attention to the Kankers, who were sitting with the other cul-de-sac kids and talking, that was good because Eddy kept saying that Kenzie was complaining that she wanted some more attention. Even if it wasn't true and she was off talking to all the other seniors he didn't know.

"How do you know all these seniors?!" Eddy finally asked after she hugged a very large football player.

She giggled, as if it were some inside joke he didn't know about. "My older sister went to the high school a year ago; I know a lot of the seniors now because she talked to them." Then as if it were all a farce her expression got really angry. "I've told you about her before."

All the memories came flooding back, when he had talked to her before in class during the year she had talked a little about an older sister but he never really paid attention to stuff like that. He should have said something because a hit to the shoulder made him yelp. Even he had to admit that he deserved that one.

Besides that little spat the whole day with her went really well and the party ended late enough for everyone to be tired, even Eddy, who yawned more than anymore. Everyone went their separate ways except the Ed's, Kankers, and Lemon Brook girls. Oh wait and another girl.

Nazz stood off with the lemon brook girls and was talking to them about cheerleading.

"Thanks for taking us to the party, it was actually kinda fun." Marie was standing off with Double-D who, for some reason felt awkward in the situation.

"Of course, I hope that we can see more of each other." He really meant that though, he liked talking with Marie, she knew him a lot more than the other cul-de-sac kids excluding Ed and Eddy and talking with her was actually fun, but what he said next was in all seriousness. "Yet for that to happen I would strongly advise you to…um….stop with your actions…..please." He tried to sound strong at first but his sentence pretty much died towards the end, he felt so embarrassed.

She looked at him for a while, not as if she were considering anything but like she were thinking of a plan. "Ok, but you got to hang out with me every Friday from here on out."

"Um…Deal." Edd didn't really see any repercussion in what she was asking for.

She smiled up at him, it wasn't like before though, there was nothing creepy about it, for once it was actually kind of, nice to see.

For a reason Double-D didn't fully know he felt extremely awkward as he hugged Marie goodbye and walked over to Nazz. "I can walk you home if you'd like."

She smiled at him and his nervousness went away. "That would be great Double-D."

He started walking and she stayed close by his side, he looked back to see that Eddy and Ed were going their separate way. That made him glad, seeing as he got some alone time with his crush.

She seemed happy enough, but there was something off about her, not like he could really tell though. "So, the Kankers actually came." It wasn't a question, and he felt a little venom in her words, again something he barely picked up on.

"Oh, yes we invited them before the dance, on a whim you could say." He really didn't know how to explain how they had come to think of the Kankers, it was more Eddy than any of them but they had followed suit.

She walked with them and they talked for a while but he could tell the whole Kanker situation bothered her. After some time he found the nerve to speak up about it while they were in the middle of the cul-de-sac. "Is everything alright?" He usually wasn't one to pick up on emotions of distress but this had been a rare moment for him.

She bit her lip for a while and spoke after thinking. "Well, I don't know, it's just a little bit of a shock to see that you were with Marie, I mean they always creeped you out last year."

He could actually relate with her explanation, he himself wasn't really used to talking with her at all let alone actually hugging her in public like he had done. "I know it's going to be very weird talking to her from now on, I think I'll be seeing a lot more of her though seeing as I convinced her to come to school more often."

Again Nazz bit her lip, she looked at him for a while and he stared back at her, she was trying to send a message to him that he couldn't really understand. He just gave a shy smile her way and held her hand. She smiled back but looked away and sighed.

"Double-D are you happy that you will see Marie more?" To anyone else this would be a sign of some sort, to Double-D it was just a simple question, but he was starting to catch on.

"I don't really know how talking to her will feel, I mean this is as new to me as it probably is for Eddy and Ed and they are pretty confused about it." He didn't know that he was breaking Nazz's heart; if he did then he would have shut up right then and there.

"Oh, that makes sense." She sounded sad and that's when Edd finally caught on. "I guess you'll try to hang out with her more huh?"

He shook his head quick enough for his hat to bob around. "N-no! Um let me explain myself here." He blurted what he said out loud enough for her to look up at him. "She and I only have a plutonic relationship, there's no substance to it like ours." Again that was blurted out, and in his own too smart for himself way he said he liked her.

She was probably the only person who was able to get that out of his sentence.

She was a babysitter; she had to know stuff like that.

"So you think there is substance to us?" She was teasing him, she wanted him to say it again, he didn't say it enough so having him say it twice in one go shouldn't have been too bad.

His face was as red as his shirt as he looked down at her, so embarrassed that he couldn't even talk. Then he realized this would be the perfect time to ask. "W-well I mean, if you want there to be any then I would very much enjoy it." He stopped, thinking it through, thinking of her reaction to what he would say next and considered holding back, but he needed to know. "But if you feel that Kevin would be a better suitor than me, I understand." If Kevin ever came back, if he ever decided to be in their lives more, he could see her running off to him, heck he practically had nightmares about it every night.

Nazz looked up at him; her blue eyes were scanning his face in concern, if she had known this was what he was worried about she would have told him a long time ago that she cared for him more than anyone. "Double-D, it's you." She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek. "If I could pick anyone to be my 'suitor' it would be you, no one else." She leaned forward, bringing her face closer to his, more importantly her lips. "I mean since you're the only person who would say suitor anyways." It was a joke but he could feel her breath tickle his lips.

He didn't know what to do in a situation like this but his body seemed to be taking over, he too leaned oh so closer to her, his hands moved by themselves just above her waist and their lips met.

His brain short circuited the second he kissed her. He had imagined doing this so many times, he had seen it in his dreams and calculated just how he would react when the time finally came, but there was no way he could imagine just how warm her lips would be in the cold air. How soft her body was against his, how she made a small squeaking noise when she had kissed him, actually that could have been him, not like he cared because this was absolutely amazing!

He heard something in the background but it went in one ear and out the other, he was just too into the kiss. When it broke off he smiled dumbly to himself, he had finally _kissed_ Nazz!

The small smile she had and the blush that accompanied it almost made him faint. "This is just to prove that it's you." She giggled and then moved his hands from above to on her waist. "Didn't we talk about this at the dance?" She joked, looking right at him.

He was still stuck on the kiss, he couldn't think of anything else, his brain finally caught up with her and he blushed deeply. "Y-yes! We did, um…well I'll remember next time." He had actually said the right thing there, he mentally hi-fived himself.

She leaned just a centimeter closer and looked at him. "Good, I expect improvement from you." She giggled and ran off back in her house.

He considered yelling back to her and asking her what he could improve on per say but his tongue was tied. He just stood there and looked at Nazz's house until he heard someone behind him.

"Double-D you did it!" Ed hollered from behind him and he instantly turned around, blushing and trying to talk.

"O…oh T-that, that was just um…." He stuttered, waving his arms in the air, but his other brother cut him off.

"What!" Eddy shouted, rubbing his hands through his hair quickly. "This chapter wasn't even about you two!"

Ed looked over at Eddy with a blank face. "You already broke that wall today Eddy."

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><p><strong>Haha! Sorry I just had to break that fourth wall in one chapter not once but twice! And why not do it for the last day of freshman year for the Ed's, but don't worry I have a lot a lot A LOT more ideas to keep this running and up for sophomore year if you guys want to read that far into it.<strong>

**Edd finally kissing Nazz oh you sly dog you! That's all I have to say about that cause things are about to get crazy!**

**Review for me please and thank ya!**


	14. Club-House

**I did it! Finished this chapter and I might actually work on another story next haha but its fine I'll try my best for you all! This chapter isn't going to be very suspenseful haha but the next one is I can assure you that it kinda hurts me to wright it ;3; **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ed Edd n Eddy characters, assuming I did though I think I'd be on the moon by now.**

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><p><strong>Club-house<strong>

"Ughhhhh!" Eddy rubbed his head hard and quick to get the sleepy feeling out of him, like if he shook hard enough he would wake up all of a sudden. It didn't work at all. "School sucks so much!" He had been suffering this much for about two weeks now. Being a sophomore sucked too.

He walked to the bathroom, taking a ceremonial shower, if there was one thing that always woke him up it was that. With a little more energy in his step he shuffled to his room again and looked through his closet, he would need a new look every year to change it up. He put on a red tee-shirt and a light yellow track-shirt. Perfect, then again when wasn't he.

He walking to the fridge, picked up a hot pocket and heated it up, he fumbled with it for a while because of how hot it was and opened the door as he blew on it.

"Have a good day at school." He turned around to see it was his mother at the top of the stairs looking down at him. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her with confusion and then anger.

"Why?" He questioned her; there was no sentiment in his voice. He kept the angry undertone there. He wasn't asking why he should have a good day; he wanted to know why she said anything at all.

He heard someone outside calling him. "Hey! Can't be late anymore, the teachers will have your head if you are!" It was Kenzie, she had told him that she would try and walk with him more often but he really didn't think that it would happen; it was a nice surprise for him.

He smiled at her and looked back at his mother, he wanted to hurt her, show her how much she let him go through. "Go away; I don't need ya ruining my mornings too." He slammed the door before she could say anything else, her saddened look would haunt him for a while, but then again, the neutral face she had whenever he was beaten would be with him for the rest of his life.

Eddy walked outside next to Kenzie without saying much, he was grumbling and sulking a little more than she enjoyed.

"Are you ok, what happened back there?" She asked while she nudged him, everyone had family problems, but then again they always complained about it, Eddy hadn't so far.

Eddy looked at her and rubbed his hair, smiling like he usually would. "Oh, ya I'm fine." He left it at that and then pointed off towards the bus stop. "Ugh, I don't want to go to school today, how long do you think Double-D would yell at me if I skipped?" He asked with a sly smile, he was actually considering it.

"He'd probably write a report about it and revise it just so he could yell at you formally." She laughed, just because she could actually see that happening, Eddy followed suit with his own laughter.

They snickered and giggled when Edd came over; he gave them a confused stare and looked over himself. "Do I have something on my shirt?"

It went from giggling to full blown laughter after that, with Edd unfortunately being on the other side of the joke as he scratched his head under his hat and shrugged.

When they got to school they each went off to their own classes, this year the Ed's didn't share all of their classes together, they had three with and three without each other. Which meant that tutoring became more difficult for Edd, but then again it wasn't like Eddy or Ed had learned nothing from him last year, so far in the first two weeks of school they had been doing very well.

Edd sat near Allen in the classroom, someone who had been instrumental last year for them and also a close friend. "Hello Allen, how are you today?"

Allen leaned his head on his fist and looked up at the board. "Nothing much, I hung out with Kenzie yesterday, she and Eddy seem to really be hitting it off." Edd couldn't read the emotion he was displaying there so he didn't answer. "Then again, how are you and your little girlfriend doing?" He gave him a coy look; Edd's insides seem to squish together.

Nazz was still a sensitive subject to him, even after she kissed him he still hadn't asked her out, even after they had hung out almost every day during that summer, and had done a lot more kissing. He felt like she was starting to get a little restless with his inability to ask her out, but every time he tried his tongue seemed to stop working.

"I can't really call her my girlfriend until I actually ask her out…" He mumbled, twiddling his thumbs as he talked.

Allen shook his head and smiled. "Eddy's going to kill you if you don't ask her out, heck Nazz will kill you if you don't ask her out." For some reason that made them both laugh.

"I'm trying trust me, I just can't seem to find the words, the moments have been perfect though, so I envision myself asking her soon." Edd said.

Allen shook his head and shrugged as the teacher started to talk, ending their conversation at that time.

How long would he chicken out before he was able to ask her to be his girlfriend? It wasn't like he had ever had one so he didn't really know how to ask someone like her, someone who was just so perfect.

He'd figure it out later; he basically always said that before he chickened out. School had ended way too quickly for him because before he knew it he was walking with Nazz home, alone...again.

"I don't understand how you are already in such a high math class Double-D!" She was looking over his schedule again to see when she could come and visit him, since they had different lunches.

He nodded slowly but said nothing as she pointed to his science class. "I can see you before this class it's right next to my English class." She smiled at him and his heart slowly sped up.

"T-that would be great." He said, trying to make eye contact with her and failing miserably.

She groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, something that he himself did as well. She was smiling though, which meant she wasn't too mad. "You don't have to be nervous around me anymore Edd." She grabbed his arm and pulled him until she was wrapping her arms around his neck and he was staring right into her eyes. "What's on your mind right now?" He could feel it, her warm breath lingering on his lips, her body pressed closely against his, he couldn't think straight.

"How beautiful you are right now." He always said the first thing that came to mind when she did this, it was her way of messing with him but also getting the truth out of him as well. She raised her eyebrow like she wanted more, and he couldn't help but give it to her. "H-how much I would like to kiss you."

Her sensual smile was what killed it for him and he kissed her without delay, she let out a squeak of surprise and that only led him to kiss her more until he could collect himself again. "I-i'm Sorry!" He blurted and she groaned again, this time with a blush.

"Double-D, you don't have to say sorry." She held his hand and they started to walk again, he was wobbling slightly, still trying to get his legs back.

Without knowing it he had inadvertently missed his chance to ask her out...again. He let her lead him to his house where Eddy and Ed had found their way in the refrigerator.

Eddy not only had chips in his mouth but also some soft cheese, Ed had a turkey leg in his mouth and a soda in his other. "Mphargha!" Ed joyously yelled, Edd could only guess that he was saying hi.

Nazz looked a little disgusted but she was completely used to this behavior after hanging out with Double-D for as long as she had. "Looks like you guys were hungry."

Eddy gulped down his food quickly and took gasps of breath. "Ya...Your mom left them for us...was even on a sticky note and everything." He scarfed down more chips and sat down at the table, writing something for his paper.

Nazz quickly scanned over his paper and pointed to a spot. "Why are you drawing schematics for a building?" Eddy covered up his drawings and glared at her.

"Hey! I'm not done with it yet!"

Edd raised his eyebrow and walked next to her, it wasn't like Eddy to hide projects like that, he always liked bragging about them. "I'm actually pretty curious myself now, you should show us Eddy." He tentatively tried to peak over his friends shoulder but Eddy wasn't having any of that.

"No! Wait till I finish it, until then you guys can't see." He swat Ed's prying hand away. "What did I just say lumpy?!"

Ed retracted his hand and sucked on his stinging fingers. Double-D pat his fuzzy head and looked at Nazz.

"Well it looks like he's adamant about not showing us, let's go watch some television then and wait for him to finish." This was a usual trick that Edd would play, feign disinterest and then when Eddy didn't get the attention he craved, he would run over and explain to them what he was doing.

This plan had worked many times in the past, so much so that even Nazz got the hint and they started to watch some of Ed's cartoons for about an hour. Eddy still hadn't budged from the table; he hadn't even given them a second glance after they left. He sat there, drawing something, or chewing on his pencil when he looked confused.

He didn't even say anything when Emma and Kenzie came over, they also tried to get him to share to no avail, he just kept drawing, erasing, and grumbling to himself. If anything, the fact that he wasn't seeking their attention made Double-D even more curious to what he was doing.

"Is he always this much of a jerk when he's planning things?" Kenzie huffed after she had tried to make Eddy share his plans.

Double-D shook his head and folded his arms. "Not usually, he's actually very open with his ideas…when he has ones." He couldn't help but throw that last part in.

Nazz giggled and looked back at Eddy. "Back in the day he used to have these things that he called scams to trick us out of our money." She pointed to Ed and Double-D. "And these two were like his workers."

Edd scratched under his hat and smiled meekly. "I'd prefer associates." He tucked his hair under his hat, which somehow still felt a little snug on him.

Kenzie pointed at Eddy, who was still not paying much attention to them. "You're telling me, that guy used to scam money off of you?" She shook her head slowly. "No. Way."

"Actually, you should see him in our metalsmithing class; he can make some really great things." Emma said as she looked up.

"There's no way Eddy could come up with plans like that, I just can't beli…" A ball of paper hit Kenzie on the head and Eddy jumped on the couch.

"Its official, I'm done with my master piece!"

He laid out the piece of paper on the coffee table, putting some drink holders on the edges to hold it down. The other kids crowded around the table to look at it, to their amazement it actually looked pretty darn good.

"You made a clubhouse?" Ed asked as he looked over the intricate drawing of the schematics.

Eddy slapped his head and pointed to the heading that read 'Cool Clubhouse.' "It says it right here, toast for brain."

Edd looked over the plans again and pointed to the roof. "I don't think that's an accurate representation of what the roof would actually look like."

Eddy smacked his hand away. "This is how it's gonna look whether you like it or not!"

Kenzie leaned over it and smiled. "Wow, looks like you actually can make some pretty cool stuff."

Eddy didn't seem very offended, just kept looking over the paper that his friends seemed to like. "It was easy." He looked at her with a smile that she hadn't seen before, it was new.

"Are you going to build it or what?" She found it hard to look at him when he smiled like that.

He shook his head and ran his hand over it. "I'll need some help from you guys, it's not just gonna be my clubhouse, I can try and share it with some of you."

Edd looked over the plans again for one last skim over, nodding slowly, they could actually do this. "We'll need many different kinds of parts for this one Eddy, you're asking for quite a lot here."

Eddy waved his hand like it was nothing. "Pffft, this'll be easy, anyways I don't do that low maintenance stuff anymore, it's all about the high end things, a place for us to hang out has to be perfect, especially if you want me to come." He smirked and sniffed like he was better than them.

"So when should we go to the junkyard?" Ed asked excitedly, they hadn't been there in a while and he missed it.

Edd looked up to answer but he saw the weird looks Emma and Kenzie were giving him, kinda like he was disgusting. Usually common sense would kick in but it wasn't hitting him just yet. "What, we need the parts."

"You guys went to the junkyard to get parts for your scams?!" Kenzie looked at Nazz who was smiling sheepishly. "You knew this and you still fell for them?" She shivered in disgust.

"To my defense, some of the things they made looked really cool." Nazz wasn't helping herself there.

Kenzie shook her head and buried her face in her hands until she got a good idea. "Actually, my dad works in construction, he has a lot of scrap metal and stuff we could use."

Eddy looked up at her. This was the first time he would actually be using clean parts for once. Well scraps of clean parts, but still.

"That would be great; it would save us the hassle of cleaning them when we get the parts." Eddy hadn't been this excited about building something in a long time. "Sweet! Let's get the parts and build this baby right now!"

Like usual Edd had to object on the idea. "Actually, Eddy we need to find the right location for it first." He pointed to the underside of the building, which hadn't been measured yet. "And we'll need to find out the length and width of the building to see how much space it will take."

Eddy groaned, he was learning about that kind of stuff now in school. "Who would'a thought that I'd actually need geometry in my life…"

Double-D shook his head slowly. "Do you see what I had to deal with for years?" The small complaint was directed towards Kenzie and Emma.

They just giggled while Eddy picked his stuff up and wrapped it all up. "Ok let's go find a place to put this sucker!" Before he could run outside Kenzie grabbed his shoulder.

"Hold on there gunner, I have to ask my dad to use the scraps before we can go and do it."

Edd nodded. "Yes, also I have to help you with the math for that Eddy; we still have work to do."

He groaned loudly and pouted with his hands in the air like he usually did when he was angry and un-patient.

Ed finally turned around from his cartoons and spoke. "Let's not make it pink like the last one, that was icky." He crinkled his face to show his dissatisfaction.

Kenzie turned and looked at him. "Why was it pink?" She turned to Eddy with a small grin. "Is there something I should know?"

Emma couldn't help but laugh in the background while Edd looked away baffled. "Shut up! The Kankers were the ones that painted it, and stole it from us!" Eddy interjected.

The Kankers were now a subject that could be openly talked about seeing as they no longer drank, or at least as much as they had before. Edd couldn't really tell with the way May had been acting, not like before, but more secretive about things, kind of like Eddy had before in the past.

School was the same old same old in Edd's opinion; it was actually pretty stale for once. If only for the reason that he was more interested in the clubhouse than what was actually going on. It was the regular excitement he would get in the past when they used to work on scams, Eddy would come up with the basic layout, Edd would work on it from there, and Ed would help them accomplish their scheme, it was like turning a tune into a composed masterpiece, it gave him a certain accomplished feeling when he saw his plan work. That is until someone blew it up or broke it, mostly Ed on those occasions.

They all met up with Eddy afterwards at Kenzie's house where they were lifting some scrap metal and wood.

"Eddy! I'm lifting more than you are, how weak are you?"

"What are you talking about, you're lifting the wood, and I've lifted all this metal!" Eddy was currently balancing a sheet of metal against a pipe.

The things they had collected seemed to be more than enough for a clubhouse; so far the equipment was ready for it. Now all it would take was Edd's knowhow and Eddy's apparent metalsmithing prowess, oh and of course Ed's strength.

There was a new piece though, one that was looking up at him with sparkling blue eyes, she was a key piece even if he had just gotten her.

"Do you want me to stay, or do you need to be alone for this?" There wasn't a concerned or sad tone in her voice. "I mean I know it's been a while since you've built something with them and it must bring back memories."

Edd checked over his shoulder to make sure that the others were busy before he kissed her cheek in a sweet peck. He was blushing more than her when he had done it. "I want to make new memories, with you."

The way she smiled just made him want to do something else sweet, but nothing came to mind. She nodded and they got to work, each going to their respective positions. Eddy and Edd started to argue over the schematics with Kenzie watching and yelling as well whenever she had the chance. Ed and Emma were playing with a plank and some metal sheets as they tried to make a makeshift house. Nazz was organizing the other sets of materials that weren't being used.

Edd drew over a side of the clubhouse that somehow defied the laws of physics on the schematics as Eddy yelled at him for being a killjoy and Kenzie snapped at him for being an idiot to draw the thing in the first place. As taxing as making this treehouse was it surprised Edd how different it was now than it was when they used to make scams together. They always made them as a team but it felt lonely sometimes, as if they were alone together, a strange feeling that he never explained to them because it never made any sense. Now though, there were new people that had new ideas and different ways of helping the building process of it all. He liked having the fresh ideas, the quick distractions and the good laughs with them. He finished the corrections and laid it on the table for them to see, it took no time for them all to crowd around them and he was pushed back.

Eddy was the next person to squeeze his way through. "I could work with that I guess, I mean, kinda sucks that the floating table isn't included." Somehow he sounded serious.

Edd just shook his head and rubbed his scalp under his hat. They continued their work in silence until it was too late for them to keep going.

"Ok, I think it's about time we throw in the towel for today." Kenzie was siting against a wooden plank that had been set up so it stood straight up and high in the air.

Eddy smiled as he heaved a metal wall up and against two support beams. "This aint nothing, we used to work two times harder than this. Then again you do look a little spent, maybe I should take you home."

She looked very tired and didn't complain when Eddy reached over and pulled her up. They walked off while Ed and Emma smiled and went the same way, talking about how awesome the clubhouse would be when they were done with it. Double-D watched as they walked away and picked up the rest of the tools, placing them neatly in a toolbox he had taken from his house. It was amazing how new building something was with them around.

"What are you thinking about right now?" Nazz wrapped her arms around his midsection and kissed his cheek; he leaned his head against hers and smiled.

"About how great it is to have everyone working together, it feels so, different. In a good way though."

He could feel her warm breath against his neck, but he was too tired to blush as much as he usually would. "What you said today, was really sweet." He felt her lips press against the nape of his neck.

She hadn't done that before, he didn't care if he had to row a wooden boat through lava to be sweet again, he would find a way.

Eddy was the last one to get home that day, he walked into Double-D's house, sneaking in and laying down on the spare sleeping bag that by now, had his name written on it. It was silent for a while as he stared up at the ceiling; he couldn't really see anything but he wasn't really trying to. It was times like these that he was actually able to think about things, about people, his family. When he heard Edd rustle in his bed he knew he was awake, the guy practically never moved when he was asleep.

He didn't it ask for a while but he knew the question was coming. "Why did you want to build a clubhouse?" Most of Eddy's ideas usually came out of the blue, just a thought that he had and wanted to make reality, but this one, it had a reason.

"I did it because I wanted a place to go, when there was nowhere else to go I guess." He was too tired to sugarcoat things or try to dance around the truth.

"You know you always have a place to go, you always have my house, or even Ed's. Any of the other cul-de-sac kids would let you spend the night by now." Edd sat up on his bed, this conversation was always hard between them but if there was a time for it to happen it had to be now.

Eddy did the same, leaning on his elbow to look at Edd, it wasn't like he could see him though. "No I don't and you know it, if your parents come home I'm not taking that time away from you, Ed's parents hate me and would only ground Ed if they ever found me." He was silent for a second before he spoke. "Same with everyone else's parents actually, anyways I can't risk them getting in trouble for me."

"There isn't anything wrong with needing help and in this situation it's perfectly warranted, you were the one that taught me to take risks when it was necessary. You should live up to that yourself as well." He clenched his blanket and he could feel tears welling up in his eyes. "Do you know how hard it is to watch you get hurt and not be able to do anything about it, see you in pain and stand aside while you bare it in some impossible way."

Eddy shook his. "There's worse pain for me, seeing a functional family is one of the worst pains I think I've ever felt. Hell, it's way worse than the physical crap I have to deal with. As many scars as my dad gives me they always heal, but seeing a kid laugh with their parents hurts a place that can never be healed." The memories of seeing other kids playing in the park, laughing and smiling with their parents sent a chill down his spine. "Sometimes ya know, it surprises me how we're all strangers in my house with the same last name, then I realize just how dysfunctional my family is when I see you guys having yours. I need a place to just be alone I guess." Before Edd could say anything Eddy quickly added. "It's not like I don't think you guys are my family, it's just that my dysfunctional one is still around."

Edd knew if the lights were on Eddy would be smiling, a sad smile that would have hurt him. It would have been a new smile that he wished he never would actually see.

"I wish you would let us help you, Eddy."

A chuckle echoed through the quiet room after some time. "The fact that ya don't think you've helped me is hilarious ya comedian you."

That night was bitter sweet for Edd, and apart of him didn't want to build the clubhouse anymore.

The next day when Ed woke up he was under his bed with a piece of toast in his hand that he didn't remember eating. When he went to the living room his sister was eating her cereal and he sat next to her, rubbing her head. "How's high school treating you baby sister?" It was so strange to think that she was a freshman now.

"Good, it's fun hanging out with you and Double-D during lunch." When she had entered high school Ed had thought she might just leave him alone and think he wasn't cool enough, but she had actually spent quite a lot of time with them. "What about Eddy?" He hadn't missed the fact that she hadn't said his name.

She shrugged while she chewed. "He's ok I guess." He knew she was only joking.

Ed walked out with his sister to the bus stop and watched as she went over to talk to Double-D, who spoke to her with care.

"Hey Double-D! How'd you sleep?"

"Fine actually, how about you?"

"I had this weird dream yesterday, you were in it though it was so cool!"

"Was it cool because I was in it, or because of the events that happened in your dream?"

She blushed at that but he didn't know why. That's basically how their conversations went.

When they all went to school it was Allen who had finally caught the resemblance between the siblings at lunch. "You're related to her?!" He burst out after taking a bite of the chicken nuggets.

They looked at each other like it was obvious; Ed was sitting on one side of Double-D and Sarah the other. "Mhm, she's my cute sweet cuddly little sister."

"Ya think the red hair would have made it obvious!" Jonny cut in, he had been with them more often now.

Allen waved it off quickly. "How was I supposed to know, she just got here and I only saw her in the halls a couple times."

Eddy pushed his lunch tray back into Allen's to get his attention. "Hey! Woop-de-doo they're siblings!" He pointed back to his sheet of paper for the list of supplies. "You in or not?"

Allen didn't take long to think it over; it was a time for them to hang out so of course he'd be in. "I'll help you build whatever it is, as long as I get to hang there as much as I want."

Eddy let out a little yippie and they got back to the school day, even if the clubhouse lingered in their heads for the rest of school. When the day had finally ended and they came back to the skeletal structure of the clubhouse they got back to the work. Allen and Jonny seemed to get along well as they continued to build, each going on their own section until it was basically all done. All they needed was to finish the roof and then add some things inside to make it more comfortable.

"So we need a couch, a punching bag with a Kevin picture on it, as requested by Eddy, and lastly some rugs." Edd left off of the very long list that had been written by everyone.

"Why does Eddy's punching bag above the rug on importance?" Nazz interjected skeptically.

"Cause the clubhouse was my idea." Eddy stuck his tongue out at her and she rolled her eyes at his antics.

Edd chuckled at how his brother and his soon to be girlfriend conversed. If anything it showed how long they had all known each other. "It's because I think that Eddy might be using the clubhouse more, so might as well help him out."

"More like he needs to work his arms out, they're looking a little flabby." Kenzie joked.

Eddy leaned on the wall that had just been built and scoffed. "I could easily break this whole clubhouse with my bare hands!"

The wall he was on on broke suddenly and he screamed out, almost knocking the rest of the clubhouse over.

Double-D looked over at his friends. "Ed, I told you to nail the walls together."

Ed looked from the moaning Eddy back to Double-D. "Oh, I didn't get to it."

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><p><strong>Sweet finished it. (: Now onto the next chapter and to work on my other stories, looks like I'm not as busy so they should come just a tad faster than before, some reviews though would really be appreciated! They really do help and make me work so much faster!<strong>


	15. Hats and Hopes

**Ok, that's that, I'm no longer busy im gonna pump these chapters out! Don't hold me to it haha but I'll definitely get them out quicker than before, now off to work on trinity team and actually get a chapter of that story done since so many people seem to like it.**

** **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ed Edd n Eddy characters. I** would have made more videogames if I did though.**

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><p><strong> Hats and hopes<strong>

"Brother, what's this picture of?" Eddy asked, pointing at a photo that was distorted. It looked like a weird bent up light bulb. He had found it on the ground outside his older brother's room, since he wasn't allowed in.

His brother looked from the T.V. that held most of his attention, to the object that was in his little brothers very tiny hands. "It's a picture from a pinhole camera I had. It was made to mess up whatever it took a picture of."

It confused Eddy in a way, but he decided to speak on it. "It looks weird though; shouldn't a camera make the picture un-weird?"

That made his brother laugh. "It's not reproduction when it looks weird though, the pinhole picture is telling the person that looks at it a story that they won't get when they first see it. Even when it's something they see every day, like a light bulb." He looked at the picture for a while before he spoke; his face was serious all of a sudden. "It's like a lie that tells the truth."

Eddy smiled; he had heard that line from his brother before. "Like the scams you make right?!" There had been many of stories from his brother about all the cool scams he had pulled on the kids for money; he even had a reputation for it.

"Nah a scam is like a secret about a secret, the more it tells the less the person knows, until they gotta pay to figure it out." He tapped him on the head and smiled, in a way that only his older brother could. "When you figure out what a lie that tells the truth is, you'll be the ruler of the world little brother."

Eddy showcased his own smile. "I'll figure it out when I make my own scams and then rule the world!"

"Tell it 'till you own it man." His brother went back to watching T.V. and Eddy went back to looking at a camera that told a lie about a truth.

Now that he was on the ground hissing in pain, he wondered if he should listen to anything his brother had told him in the past.

"You…really don't know when to shut….your damn mouth do you?" He could hear his father walking over to him, his footsteps creaking while he got closer.

Without thinking twice he rolled over and got up on his feet with his hands clenched. "It's hard to keep my mouth shut when all I have to listen to is you ramble about crap that's stupid as hell!" He got ready for the charge, tensed his body up, but someone from behind ran in and grabbed his arm, pulling him outside of the room and closing the door. He knew who it was, but didn't really believe it.

There was his mom, pushing him out of the door and looking panicked. "Just go to one of your friend's house." She quickly gave him his phone and closed the door before he could say anything else.

He stood there for a while, listening to crashing and small noises that wouldn't be noticeable, even in a cul-de-sac like this. It was the first time he heard the yelling and thumping from outside and he realized why no one ever knocked on their doors. It wasn't all that loud, just sounded like kids playing late at night, and maybe a scream or two from his dad.

For a second he thought of charging in there to help his mom, but he didn't hear her screams so he jogged away before his dad opened the door looking for him. He found his way to the clubhouse, it was quiet and dark but there was a flashlight for these kinds of circumstances. It wasn't even that late at night, but it was dark enough where a light was needed. He was bored so he did what every teenager did when they were bored, he started texting people.

First up it was Kenzie. Then Allen, and lastly Ed and Double-D. He thought about inviting them to the clubhouse, it was made for them to hang out. He checked over himself to make sure he didn't have any noticeable scars, besides a cut on his shoulder and a slightly bruised back, he was all fine.

Only Kenzie, Allen, and Ed texted him back. One of his brothers didn't text him; Eddy secretly cursed Double-D for not checking his phone. It occurred to him that he could be with his girlfriend, but it didn't matter, he felt like he could at least get back to him. Eddy sighed and rubbed his hair, he sounded like a girl that needed attention!

Edd at the moment wasn't even with his soon to be girlfriend, he was actually panicking. It was Saturday and about eight twenty five and here he was, trying to pull his hat down over his head, but it wasn't fitting. His Saturday hat no longer fit on him!

He didn't understand what had happened to make his hats shrink like they did, he had been washing them with the exact same brand of detergent and the same way since he was three years old. He heard his phone buzz like it always would when someone texted him, but he didn't have time for that, right now he was trying to solve a crisis.

He quickly rubbed his hair and sighed as the messy locks fell around the back of his neck and his face. If there was one thing he understood less then emotions, it was hair. Ever since he was little his hair had always been a big mess, but that wasn't the reason why he kept the hat. He could always just cut the hair and or get someone else to style it now that Nazz was closer to him. Before that wouldn't have been an option, which was another reason why he had worn the hat before. He rubbed his finger over the familiar texture of the hat and sniffed a little. He wasn't going to cry over not being able to wear his hat but it did hurt in a place that had been nagging at him.

His phone buzzed again and he finally looked at it. He had one from Nazz and one from Eddy wanted him to go to the clubhouse and Nazz had simply said hey. He decided to respond to Nazz's first, he asked if she could come over for a while, even typing the message out made his hands sweaty. When he sent it he gulped and took out some of the hair pins that had been permanently cemented in his hair. It took some time, and it hurt a lot, but he finally pulled them out. Even more tuffs of his hair fell down his face.

He played with his hat and thought about old memories while he waited for Nazz to come over.

_Edd ran from his room to the kitchen, where both his mother and father were gently talking to each other about something. When they saw him approaching they smiled and waved him over._

"_How are you doing Edward?" His mother asked, as she rubbed his head and he hugged her leg._

_He nuzzled closer to her, hiding his face from her gaze. "I'm fine mother; it's just that I do not wish to leave my home."_

_His father smiled down at him and even though he couldn't see it, he felt the warmth of it. "But son, if we leave you here and move to where our job is you'd have to take care of the house all alone."_

_The thought of being alone made him gasp and he looked up at his parents, his eyes tearing up. "N-no! I don't want you to go!" He pleaded, and his dad rubbed his head again._

_His father chuckled. "Well, what would you rather have. Stay at home, or go with us?"_

_This was one of the easiest questions he had to answer. "Go with you of course!"_

_His mother bent down and kissed him on the head. "Home is wherever we are as a family, so as long as you are with us. You are home."_

"_Hm, I hadn't considered that." He placed his hand on his chin something that he had picked up from his father._

_Before he could rebuttal his dad picked him up and put him on his shoulders, his favorite thing in the world. "How about we go take you to get your goodbye gift from your grandma?" His dad pat his legs while he hugged his head, "Actually, it's a present from all of us, we all helped make it."_

_Even though it wasn't his birthday he felt like it was, he was getting a present, even if it was a goodbye one. He didn't say anything as they walked over to his grandma's house. It was close to theirs so that they could visit her as much as they wanted, they wouldn't be able to after this though. It bothered him significantly, especially when his grandma answered the door and gave him a sad smile._

"_Oh, how I'll miss you little one."_

_He climbed down from his father's back and hugged her tightly. "I'll miss you too grandma, but I'll try my best to talk to you every day." He was showered by kisses that made him wish he was a kid who got his cheeks pinched instead._

_As happy as he was to see his grandma, the present was something that peaked his curiosity and he couldn't help ask about it when they were inside. He was scolded by his mom about patience but his grandma hushed her and went inside to get what he would soon realize was a hat._

"_This is something that I was able to buy in my spare time I even put your initials in it, just for you." She put the hat over his head and he chuckled at how it ticked his hair, but it felt really good on his head, even if it was loose._

_His grandma moved it around his head for a little and kissed his cheek. "As long as you're wearing this hat, I'll be close by."_

_His father stepped in and put his arm around his shoulder too. "Don't forget that we chipped in too, so as long as you wear it we'll be close by too." His mom joined in and nuzzled his cheek._

_He didn't think he could smile any bigger then he was at that moment. It was easily the best present he had ever received, and he knew that he would wear it as much as possible._

What he didn't know was that his grandma was going to die only two years after they left, and that his family would be broken up by their jobs. Or even that the hat would come to represent brighter and better times for him.

Knocking at the door interrupted his thinking and he quickly ran to answer it. Of course it was Nazz. What he forgot was the fact that his hat was off, and that there were tears running down his cheeks. Her focus at that moment was on his head though, and he quickly wiped his eyes.

"You're not bald?!" Was the first thing she shouted out and he took a step back clearly offended.

"Of course I'm not bald!" Was the only thing he could say at that moment.

She couldn't stop staring at his head, just looking at how long his hair was, how each black strand of hair was matted down from his hat. How good it looked on him. Not a lot of people had seen Edd's hair, in-fact only Eddy and Ed had that she knew of.

She felt special that he felt comfortable enough to show it to her. Before she could stop herself, she rushed in and kissed him deeply. She reached up to stroke his hair, to feel the thing that had been hidden from her for so long that she had forgotten it was a secret altogether. His hands found her waist and he depend the kiss.

Edd could feel her hands roam around his scalp, it felt so new but in such a good way. It only coaxed him to kiss her even more. When they finally stopped she looked at his head more even while he planted kisses on your cheek and neck.

"H-hold on." She giggled, moving herself a little. "I wanna feel it some more." She kept her attention on his hair, running her fingers through; it didn't feel rough or un-attended too at all. He had actually been taking care of it even though it was hidden under a hat.

He was looking at her, hoping she wasn't judging his hair too severely. "I…need your help, with my hair actually." He whispered quietly.

She looked at him and smiled. "Well why didn't you say so in your text? I would have brought some scissors."

He instinctively reached up and hid his hair from her. "Why, is it too long?"

"No, no it just needs a trim after being matted down so long in your hat." She defensively put her hands in-front of her. "That and the back is a little too long, overall though I like the bangs in your eyes." She brushed some of his hair out of his face and he blushed a little.

"There are some scissors and other appliances you'll need for this, like shampoo." He pointed off towards the bath room and she nodded.

"Ok, let's get down to work." She seemed a little excited. "Then we can show your new haircut to everyone at the clubhouse!"

Even though he smiled at her, he groaned inwardly.

Ed held the bag steadily as Eddy punched away at it. He threw another punch and then fell back on his butt. He could hear Kenzie clapping behind him.

"Good job Eddy, I mean it. You really know how to punch." She got up from the couch and pat him on the shoulder. Of course, in the one place he was hurt and he winced. "Did you throughout your arm?" She lifted up his shirt before he could say anything and saw his cut. She gasped, like they all did and looked at him. "What did you do?!"

A lie, he needed to come up with a lie. "Nothing, I hurt it before when I was out with Ed and Double-D." He shrugged his shoulder so that his shirt went back over the cut.

She flicked him on his head. "So you decided to walk around bleeding like that?" When he just shrugged at her she sighed. "At least come and sit down with Allen and me so you don't bleed out on us."

He smirked at her and moved his head ever so slightly towards her. "Fine by me, I know'ya just want to get closer to me, but ill pretend like you wanna help."

She didn't blush, just walked over to the couch and pat the seat next to her. He obeyed and got a little closer to her then he needed to.

Allen peered from her other side and looked Eddy over. "Rough fall you must have had to get that cut man."

Eddy looked from Kenzie to him. "Not really, just fell off of some trash in the dump."

Kenzie turned towards him too and shook her head. "Don't try to worry about him Allen, he doesn't let anyone doing that."

The boy being talked about leaned back on his arms. "Trust me, I already have Double-D and Ed worrying about me enough, I don't need anyone else doing it too." He pretended to choke and smiled. "It's sufficatin' I swear."

Allen laughed at that but Kenzie only rolled her eyes. "Bro, you're hilarious I swear." He shook his head and poked Kenzie's cheek. "Hey, cmon cutie, don't pout so much."

The second that was said Eddy looked at Kenzie to see how she would react, she just swatted his hand away and got up. "You guys are ignoring Ed, look at that he's over there eating all by himself."

Eddy quickly looked over at him and gave him a weird look. "He didn't bring any snacks I think…"

Kenzie ran off before he could even pretend to hurl.

Usually Eddy would crack up at that, but what Allen said bothered him. She hadn't even reacted to it, did they like each other?

Usually he'd get angry; mad at the other guy that was fighting for her attention, but it was Allen. He was one of his best friends, and one of the people that helped him whenever he needed it.

Allen didn't look at him, like what he said meant nothing. Eddy wanted to ask him about it, but it wasn't that simple. He liked Kenzie, a lot actually. Enough to fight over her though, he didn't know.

He watched her as she tried to pry a piece of plywood out of Ed's mouth. She was feisty, brash, blunt, and downright mean sometimes. Just what Eddy needed though, she never overstepped her boundaries, never dug too deep. She had been someone to worry about him though, even if she pretended not to. If he was to ever ask her if she liked him she'd probably say no, but her actions always said something else. Same went for him, he'd lie if he said he didn't think about her a lot, but if she ever needed help he hoped that he was the first person she went to.

Was it a lie that told the truth?

No, his lie about not liking her wasn't a truth at all. Even if his actions said otherwise. That little lesson that his brother said always got to him. He had no idea why, but it seemed like it was important.

Allen looked over at him and hit him on the arm, avoiding his cut. When he did that there was a small part of Eddy that wanted to hit him back, harder. He kept that under control, and took his attention off of Kenzie.

"You know she likes you right?" He rolled his eyes and smiled. "She always complains how you don't text her enough or how you never try and talk to her more." He gave a quick nod to his shoulder and sat back on the couch. "She worries about you a lot more then she lets on."

He hated Allen in that moment, he really did. "You like her too." He shook his head. "You like her enough to let me go after her?" It didn't make any sense.

"I like her enough to let her have the guy that she wants, ya." He put his arms up and smiled. "I'm no competition for you Eddy; I mean you're the man."

He shouldn't have been angry at what he said, but of course he was. "Stop being so nice, have a backbone." The look on Allen's face made his insides churn a bit and he punched him on the shoulder. "Thanks…" He mumbled.

Allen pointed at the punching bag. "Hey, those knocks are for that thing, not me."

Eddy raised a fist at him. "Why don't I feed'ya a knuckle sandwich instead of punching you!" He was going to threaten him some more but a hand slapped him in the side of the head.

"Thanks for the help over there Eddy!" Kenzie's hair was messy and she was holding wooden board like it was a weapon.

Eddy had to think fast on this one. So he grabbed his shoulder and started yelling. "Ohh, oww my shoulder!" He faked his screams in pain for dramatic effect but Kenzie wasn't having it. He just got a 'you're stupid' look from her and he went back to sitting up.

He got back on the defensive quickly. "Well what do you want me to do about him?!" He gestured over to where Ed was, who gave a small pout at the shouting.

"I want you to help me when I'm trying to stop him from eating wood!" Kenzie countered, getting a little closer to him.

"Ed's eaten a lot worse than that! The guy ate a T.V. once, with me in it!"

She pretended to hurl. "That's disgusting, I didn't need to know that!"

Eddy was going to respond, but someone cleared their throat at the door and he turned to look. There was Nazz, as beautiful as ever. She smiled at them and right behind her, looking as meek as ever, was Double-D.

Without his hat.

Showing his hair for all to see.

"Pinch me I'm dreaming." Ed breathed, there had only been a few times in his life that he had ever seen Double-D's hair. He never thought that he would just go out and show it to everyone.

Even though Kenzie was closer than she usually was from his face, his eyes couldn't leave Edd. He had showed Nazz his hair, before even them.

As amazed as he was, he was also pretty hurt by that.

Kenzie wasn't as mystified as the others were, she didn't really understand how long he had that hat on for. "Wow, you finally got it off, and you aren't bald."

Edd slapped his hand over his head. "No…I'm not bald."

Nazz laughed at that and walked next to her. "I know right! I thought he was too don't worry about it."

Edd looked over at everyone and blushed slightly. "Does my hair look good?" He seemed genuinely worried, but it was really good on him. He had bangs that were just above his eyes, his hair was cut so it no longer went down his neck but now was cut short. His hair was matted down, probably a forever sign that he had worn the hat.

"I like that haircut on you, I thought that you would have curly hair though." Allen sounded disappointed. "You could have rocked a small afro like me." He pointed to his growing hair and smiled.

The compliment gave him some more confidence than he had before about his hair. Even if Nazz had said it looked fine, it was nice to get a guy's compliment. There were other people that he wanted praise from as well.

Ed ran over and started rubbing Edd's hair. "It's so warm and clean, why don't you hide crumbs in your hair too?" Ed picked through his hair like he was a monkey.

He smiled up at his brother. "Ed, from here on out, don't leave crumbs in your hair." Ed pouted, but laughed a little when Double-D tickled him.

He cheered him up and looked over at Eddy, who looked a little angry. It wasn't something that anyone else would notice except him. Just the way he had stayed quiet, the way his hands clenched into fists. He didn't look like the usual Eddy that would have been in his face about finally taking the hat off.

"Did you want to take the hat off?" He asked slowly, while he stood up. He looked at him without the anger leaving his eyes.

Edd looked at him skeptically. "My hat's stopped fitting and the company that makes them does not anymore." He shrugged, not getting where the conversation was going. "I have to go without them now."

Eddy slowly nodded and looked back at his brother. "Your hair looks good on you; I thought you might keep the Tarzan hair though!" He gently punched Double-D's chest a couple times and he laughed.

He had the approval of everyone who was at the clubhouse and that was all he needed at that time. He looked around, scanning the faces. There was someone missing. "Where's Emma?"

Kenzie answered quickly. "She's with her brother, they are getting ready for their drivers school." She shook her head. "Ugh, I have to take that class in January."

Eddy's ears perked up, he went from poking fun at Double-D to rushing over at Kenzie. "Drivers-Ed, I have to take that too now!"

Allen and Kenzie both bumped against him.

"Looks like someone's gonna have to take it with me." Kenzie smiled.

Allen rubbed Eddy's hair. "More like you get to goof off with me in the class."

Eddy ducked under Allen's hand, something just seemed. Awkward about all of this. He looked over at Edd again. He was hugging up to Nazz, closer than he had ever before. The fact that he felt comfortable enough now to even show her something like his hair was amazing, he hadn't even shown it to them willingly. It had been an accident. It must have been a great feeling to know that he could show his inner most secrets and still feel accepted. Did he feel that way about Kenzie?

To share all of his dark secrets with her and hope that she would help him. No, the things he kept to himself were a lot different than messy hair hidden under a precious hat. If he told her the things his dad did to him, the threats that had been made, she would worry about him more than she should. Maybe even tell the wrong people, and they'd take him away, there was one thing that he knew more than anything and it was that if he was taken away from all of his friends he wouldn't make it in the world.

In time he felt like he could trust her though, and that was good enough for him. It was after a while that he realized that he was staring right at her and she was giving him a weird look.

"What?" Her tone wasn't nice at all. If anything it was a little mean. Kind of the way he liked it though.

He sat back down on the couch and pat the cushion next to him. "Come sit with me."

Double-D checked his watch just as Kenzie sat down next to him. "Actually, it's pretty late now. We should all go home before our parents worry."

Everyone, even Kenzie checked their phones and groaned, it was true.

Before Eddy could even think of some way to disagree with what his brother said she pulled him up by the arm and walked with him until they were outside, away from everyone else.

Usually this wouldn't be an awkward walk, because usually Eddy wasn't thinking so darn much about it. If this was even a little of how Double-D usually felt when he walked with Nazz then he kind of understood why he hadn't asked her to be his girlfriend yet.

Eddy was different though, he could actually talk about it openly. "So I heard that you actually worry a lot about me." He could see her flinch just a little and smiled coyly as she turned around. He loved messing with her.

Without batting an eyelash she shook her head. "I don't worry about you getting hurt, I worry about how you get hurt." His smile shrunk quickly. "You never really give a good explanation, and neither do Ed and Double-D."

Eddy had to think, he noticed they had stopped walking and she was just looking at him. He looked back at her blue eyes and smiled. That's all he could do in that moment was smile at how much she had worried about him. The looming feeling that the lies he told her were still there, but at this moment he just enjoyed looking at her face.

"I told you, I get hurt a lot because I'm actually a secret agent in disguise this whole time." He held his finger up like a gun and pointed it at her. "Now I gotta take you out before you tell anyone else."

Of course she laughed; it was all she could do in the moment, even if she knew he was just playing it all off. Like always. "You couldn't take the shot even if you had to." She moved his hand out of her face.

"You're right, no women no children." He started walking again towards her house and she walked beside him. "It's my one rule, well unless they aren't good looking." He shrugged and she just rolled her eyes.

"I know that's your little way of saying I'm cute." It was Eddy's turn to blush slightly as he heard those words from her mouth. They held way too much truth in them for his liking.

She had somehow managed to quiet the usually loud boy. That is until they got to her house. "This looks like your stop." He waved his arms to her house like he was escorting her to a castle. "My lady, your…umm house thingy awaits." He didn't know the fancy word for house.

"Abode is the word you're looking for, you have to start reading your dictionaries."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Words aint for me, I use my own kind'a dictionary." He jacked thumb at himself and puffed his chest out to look bigger. He paused for a second. She was just smiling at him and it made him feel uncomfortable, and also a little intrigued. "What, do I have something on my face?"

"Why are you so cocky?" She asked, he noticed that she got closer to him, way closer than friends.

He didn't think she actually wanted an answer, but he decided to give one anyways. "Cause I'm trying to impress'ya of course." He reached out and touched her hair, more on instinct than anything. "Oh, sorry had something in your hair." He lied, trying to make up an excuse for what he had done.

She leaned into his hand, and he had to gulp. "It's fine, you have something on you too…" She leaned forward.

He couldn't really think as his body moved closer and closer to hers. He hadn't expected his first kiss to be like this, something so innocent wasn't what he had in mind. It was a quiet moment, not one that was loud or obnoxious like he was. When they kissed it was different, there were no 'fireworks' as he would say. Instead it was a comfortable silence mixed with the occasional smacking noise; it was different than what he had imagined.

But it was perfect.

She was the one that pulled back after sometime. "Ok, I have to go before my parents think I'm off kissing boys all willy'nilly." She was blushing and he could have sworn her blue eyes twinkled at him.

She could have told them they were going on a death quest and he would have said yes. "Ok."

He watched her leave, then felt like a creeper and left. Trying to keep his composer but failing miserably because before he knew it, he was sprinting towards Double-D's house.

When he barged in Edd was holding his hat and sitting down on the steps. He didn't even look up when Eddy sat next to him. He looked over his shoulder at Ed, who was rubbing Double-D's back.

"This hat, it's all I have of my grandma, all I have of my parents love." He shook his head slowly and rubbed his thumb over the hat again. "Time's where better when I got this hat, my parents where around, my grandma was alive, I was in a family."

"You have us though." Ed whispered a little hurt at his comment.

He smiled gently up at Ed. "I do have you guys, but my intermediate family is also important, and they aren't around anymore."

Ed frowned a little. "They made sure to get you things to show you they loved you."

Double-D stood up and held his hat tighter. "This was the most important present that i had recieved from them." he sighed and threw the hat on the table. "Its just a memory ill have to get over."

Ed quickly picked the hat back up. "Your parents still love you, they always have..."

"The hat doesnt prove anything, they love you even if they never came home again." Eddy cut in, he was still sitting on the stairs. "They gave'ya the hat when they were with you, but it doesn't mean that they don't love you still."

Edd smiled at him, it was fake. "Let's hope you're right, it's just a keepsake for me, hard to lose it I guess."

Eddy didn't have the energy to help him then. It was exhausting being there for Edd! So he let Ed talk to him in his own way, a simple but precise conversation that he tuned out, while he thought about kissing Kenzie.

"Thanks for caring Eddy, I really needed that." His smile wasn't as fake, Eddy pretended like he knew what was going on.

Then something dawned on him, a passing memory that for some reason he felt was connected to this moment. Without saying anything he walked towards the table.

Eddy looked at the hat and hung it up on the rack, taking the labeler and typing something in before he stuck it in the inside of the cap. It read "A lie that tells the truth."

Ed came out from behind Double-D and hugged him rubbing his hair. "Your parents love you just like we do Double-D!"

Eddy put the labeler down and looked over at them. "The hat might have been something your parents left to you because they love you, but even if it's off doesn't mean they're not with ya." He went over and gave Edd a patented brother noogie. "They left us with you so we can remind you."

When they had finally stopped their antics Edd was able to see what Eddy put inside it and looked over at him. "What does this line mean?"

Eddy didn't look at the hat; he already knew what he meant. "Something my older brother used to say." He scratched his head and shrugged. "It's one of the only lessons I think I'll listen to."

And just as he was feeling proud, like he could really own this world, he was even looking out the window to look cool. A car pulled up at his house. One that he had never seen before, His mom and dad where home, so who was this?

And when he saw the person step out, the world that he had ruled for such a short time. Crumbled, and he was left with the broken remains.

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><p><strong>Cliffhanger! But I bet you already know who it is right? Ok I'll give you a hint, it's a friend of the dads….ok I gave it away. Eh you'll just have to wait until next chapter to know what I mean for sure though :P<br>Thanks for waiting so long for this your patience is appreciated  
>Please review they help me out!<strong>


	16. Reasons

**This chapter will mostly focus on Eddy and Ed I've kinda realized that lately I've been going off of Edd's story and as much as I love talking about Edd Eddy and Ed have been a little left out **** Especially Ed I need to write more about him but I actually have a chapter for him so it'll work itself out. :P**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in Ed Edd n Eddy. I'll try to see what I can come up with though. :P**

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><p><strong>Reasons <strong>

There were certain barriers that Eddy didn't let people break, pass, or even get close to. There were certain things no one was allowed to talk about near Eddy, he was a very private person and anyone that knew anything about him could tell when he didn't want to talk about something. With the people that didn't he would smoothly change the topic of the conversation so to avoid an awkward and harsh snap by his part. There were people that no one should talk about to Eddy. His parents were one topic he absolutely hated discussing with anyone, to talk about them was to talk about all the bad memories, the pain and the scars that came with living with them. Double-D and Ed where the only people, they were always the exception but even with them he wouldn't let the conversations get too drawn on.

There was another, one that not even Ed or Double-D dared speak about. It was too fresh, too new to speak on with someone like Eddy, whose wounds never truly healed.

He watched, blank faced and surprisingly, his hands were not clenched as his brother walked to the house, opened the door with keys he must have saved and strolled in like he had been living there the whole time. He didn't know why he was back, but he didn't care at all.

He was back.

The man that had tortured Eddy for so long, the man that should have been his savior but turned his back on him.

"Hey Eddy, do you want to play Ed's new video game with us?" He heard Double-D call from behind him, but he couldn't stop looking at his house. He hated it even more now. It needed to go away.

He tore his attention off of the structure and walked towards his friends. "Ya sure, why not." He'd get to the bottom of what was going on later, now wasn't the time.

Eddy didn't let it bother him at all while he hung out with Ed and Double-D. His brother, someone who he had looked up to for so long until just a year ago. Where he realized how terrible his brother had become, he wasn't the same person that had lived in his house years ago, and that's what scared him so much about it, why he couldn't talk about his brother.

His brother used to be better than that, more of a man, but now he was distant, cold, unfeeling to the one person that would have given him a second chance. That's what scared him.

He could become just like him.

There weren't many differences between Eddy and his brother. If Eddy didn't have Ed and Double-D keeping him on the right path there's no doubt in his mind that he would have ended up like his brother, without the fan base from the other cul-de-sac kids of course. That could have made him worse, into a monster like his father, or a spawn of that like his brother. There weren't many male role models for him to follow. His mind was wandering now, Ed was saying something about how Eddy wasn't doing so well and he just grunts in response.

He wants to go over there to see what's happening, but he's scared, he won't admit it but he's desperately scared.

There were certain things that no one talked about with Eddy.

They scared him.

His heart rate increases, his thumb slips on the controller and his character dies a gruesome death to some giant Minotaur. He felt like he was in a dungeon right now, trapped in the darkness that he blindly walked through.

"Are you feeling well Eddy?" Edd doesn't look worried; he's too busy playing the game. Good, he gets a break for once from Edd's concerned glance.

He wants to tell him why he's so distracted, but if he found out then he'd never let Eddy go home. "I'm fine, this games just stupid." He meant to yell that but his voice just didn't carry the power it had before.

He looked back in the direction of his house and shook his head; he needed to stop thinking about it, but it wasn't that easy not thinking about the source of most of his hatred the past year. Actually that wasn't true, it was Kevin who had won that award.

He decided to text Kenzie while he waited to play again, partially because he wanted to talk to her, and partially because he kind of wanted to kiss her again. Well, it was mostly because he wanted to kiss her again. When he started punching the keys on his cellphone he realized how clingy it would be to text her right after they had said bye and he shut his phone, rolling his eyes. There was no way he should be thinking this much about texting a girl.

Then again it wasn't like Edd hadn't made him think more about Kenzie since he had been all lovey dovey with Nazz. It was cute sometimes to see them holding hands or walking together whispering something sweet to one another, but then he would read some of those letters they wrote each other and almost hurl. He hoped that Kenzie wasn't as mushy as they were, he didn't think he could take it.

"Eddy we got you an extra life hurry up!" Ed yelled over the clicking of their controller and Eddy fumbled with his quickly before he pressed the start button, if there was one thing he knew it was to never be lax when Ed was playing a video game.

He was better focused when he thought about Kenzie instead of his own problems. He liked that, having someone to think of even when he was in duress. He decided to actually save the princess this time instead of taking the sword. He didn't know why, but he was smiling just a little when he did it.

Ed loved playing videogames with Eddy and Double-D, more than he liked almost anything because they could talk and be themselves with just the three of them like before. Not that he didn't like the times now, it was just nostalgic and pleasant when they hung out by themselves.

He wanted to play longer when they beat the game but it was pretty late and school was tomorrow, he sighed and lead them out of the house quietly, trying not to wake up his parents that were pretty mad at him. Like always.

"See'ya later." Eddy whispered, which was rare for him.

"Goodbye Ed, we will see you tomorrow." Double-D smiled at him.

He nodded and smiled back, he thought he heard a creek behind him and instinctively turned around. He waved before he closed the door and looked around the house again. It was dark, a little too dark for his liking, but he continued to move slowly and quietly until he got to his room. He didn't realize how tired he was until he was on his bed, with pants on and everything. He heard his cellphone chirp shortly, informing him that he had a text but he was just too tired to reach for it and he fell asleep wondering who it had been.

It stuck with him until he woke up the next day, his eyes where so heavy and his body felt so stiff that he really didn't want to move to go get the phone, but he did, digging around in his pocket and pulling it out slowly. He squinted in the dark, trying his best to read the fuzzy lines of words that were printed on his phone. It was his sister, asking about Double-D and if he was staying over.

That was weird; she would only really text him if it had to do with Double-D or if she needed something. It wasn't a bad thing, he would rather talk face to face than text his sister but his tired mind contemplated why she would text him about Double-D. He was able to think about it more as his body slowly woke itself up, but then he saw a moth fluttering around and couldn't remember what he was thinking about. Instead the moth had caught his attention completely, he ran around, reaching and grabbing at it until it finally fluttered out of the window.

Leaving on its own accord, Ed kind of wished he could do that.

"Ed, stop stomping around you'll wake your sister!" His dad yelled from the top of the stairs, he wanted to ask him why he was yelling if he wanted to make sure Sarah stayed asleep but he didn't want to get grounded, again.

He didn't think he smelled all too bad so he skipped the morning shower and instead went upstairs to eat, he saw the eggs and pancakes, mixed with syrup, butter, and even a strawberry on top for affect. He knew they were good, he also knew they weren't his. Instead he made himself a large bowl of cereal which tasted a little bland compared to the sweet smell that wafted from the pancakes.

He had been dealing with this for years, having to eat what he could while Sarah got it handed to her; it wasn't that he was angry at her for it. His little baby sister deserved everything that she got.

But he got nothing. He didn't think he deserved that.

He had been getting decent grades, accomplished a lot, but here he was eating honey nut cheerios while his sister got home made pancakes. He had always thought that out of Double-D and Eddy he had the easier life when it came to parents.

He did in fact, but it didn't mean it wasn't bad. He had noticed that when he visit Emma's family they were just as nice to her as they were to Nike, he wanted that. He didn't know what word to use when he thought about it, but he wanted what they had.

He didn't realize how long he had been sitting there until Sarah walked in, yawning and stretching her arm. "Hi big bro." She greeted, with so much sweetness it hurt Ed. He was kind of mad at her, but for what reason?

"Hey baby sister." He forced a smile, watching her take a bite out of the pancakes as if it where nothing. They meant something to him.

He got up to leave but she stopped him. "C-can you walk with me today?"

It was unusual for his sister to want to walk with him. Especially since she had become a freshman and wanted to make a name for herself and not just Ed's little sister.

He looked at her for a while, more shocked than anything. "Of course!" The smile he gave her this time was real and the one he got from her was more so.

He didn't have to wait long before she was ready running outside with him. Eddy and Double-D joined in quickly after that.

Eddy nudged him with his elbow. "Hey, you ready to start that driver's class; it starts up in a month."

Ed groaned. "I don't want any more classes! School is hard enough!"

Double-D rubbed one of his eyes. "It's too early in the morning to talk about another class for me to teach you something about."

Sarah moved from walking next to Ed to walking besides Double-D. "Can you teach me some of the rules too?" She looked up at him hopefully and he scratched the back of his hatless hair.

"Of course, if I can teach Eddy and Ed I can teach you anything." He looked at her and smiled, one that made him look even more handsome when his hat was gone.

She smiled back at him without taking her eyes off of him. "Could I come over then…for you to teach me?"

Edd noticed that she was blushing, and he was reminded of something. He couldn't place it, and he smiled anyways. "Of course, you can come over whenever you want." It was wrong to say that, he knew that but he couldn't kill her hopes, either way it just didn't feel right.

But the smile she gave him made him forget about that feeling. She looked so hopeful, it wasn't like he had seen her smile a lot when they were younger and she was constantly yelling at him, he liked this new Sarah, a more mature one.

"Hey, you didn't text me yesterday." He looked from Sarah to Nazz, who was very close to his face. So close that it made him blush and lose focus from what he was thinking.

"I-I…" He cleared his throat when he saw the annoyed look Nazz gave him. "I intended too, but I fell asleep I'm sorry." He gave his best I'm sorry pout, but she wagged a finger at him.

"Nope, you told me you'd always send your goodnight text I'm supposed to get mad at you." Her tone didn't indicate that she was actually angry, but Edd knew when to play along.

"I said sorry what more do you want from me?" He leaned closer to her, already knowing exactly what he should do to make her happy again.

She captured his lips before he could think of something else smart to say. He lost himself for a while before he heard someone pretending to throw up behind him.

"Ugh, I'd tell'ya to get a room but I don't know what you'd do in it." Double-D didn't even have to turn around to see the sly smile on Eddy's face. If he had been paying more attention he would have seen Sarah scowling.

"Thanks for that Eddy," He shook his head, grabbing at Nazz's hand so he wouldn't totally lose the romantic moment. "Is there any other way you'd like to embarrass me before the bus arrives?"

"Actually I have something…." Before he could finish his sentence Edd put his hand up.

"That was a hypothetical question, I didn't mean for you to actually answer it." He squeezed Nazz's hand for effect, also for some help.

"Actually, if kissing makes you that sick, then maybe you shouldn't have kissed Kenzie." Nazz stood up for her wannabe boyfriend, sticking her tongue at the blushing boy.

Sarah looked up at him with absolute amazement. "You finally kissed a girl?"

Eddy glared at her. "I've kissed a whole lot of girls before!" He looked off towards the side, scratching his chin. "…You just haven't seen any of'em." His unconvincing quiet voice didn't fool anyone.

"Glad to know you're such a player Eddy." Kenzie walked up, holding her waist in that way she would when she was angry. "Wanna tell me who these other girls were?"

Eddy just groaned, smacking himself on the head. "Of course you'd come in when I said that, my luck wouldn't have it any other way."

"Ya it's your lucks fault alright," She walked up to Eddy, leaning close to whisper in his ear. "But until I start hearing some names, don't expect that luck to change." Her warm breath tickled his ear and he blushed, just like she expected.

He looked away from her, coming down from the short high he had while she was close to him. "Dang…" He wanted the last word, but that was the only thing that came to mind.

Ed leaned over the flustered boy and hugged him closely. "It's ok, I'll hug you tight!"

Eddy held the hulking arm that was wrapped around his head, football had only made Ed stronger than before and that wasn't a good thing for his body parts. "Ed….air….you idiot!" Eddy tried to squeeze into a more comfortable place in his arms but he was just too strong. After a while he just gave up to the strength and went limp.

"Aw, you're like a little kitty cat." Ed was stroking the hair of the seemingly lifeless body of the boy while everyone laughed.

When they entered the bus Eddy sat next to Allen, who he hadn't talked to in a while, it was weird seeing as they were close friends.

"Hey man," Allen smiled, and it didn't look fake or malicious at all. That bothered Eddy.

He wanted him to be mad, his crush was going after him and he felt so bad but there was nothing he could really do about it. He wanted Allen to be mad, to know what it was that he felt. It sounded a little girly, but Eddy wanted to keep his friends close seeing as Kevin was one of them at one point and now, he was just a jerk. Having that happen again would be terrible.

"Hey," He felt like he should say something, but he couldn't really think of something to say in a moment like this, it was new to him. "What's up?"

Allen leaned his arm on the window of the bus and looked over at Eddy. "I woke up and got on the bus." He was smiling at Eddy. They were never really people for small talk. "Should I ask what's up with you too so that you can tell me the same thing?"

Eddy smiled and hit Allen on the arm. "No, the only difference my morning had from yours is I actually tried to look good today."

"Oh really? 'Cause your face says otherwise, it just looks so bad." Allen scoffed jokingly, and Eddy rolled his eyes.

"Let's see how your face looks when I give it a good old fashion helping of a knuckle sandwich!"

"Oh, is that before or after I give you a nice helping of some pound cake!"

"Sandwiches come before cake ya dolt!"

"Not if you have a sweet tooth they don't you spiked haired son'of a…"

"Hey!" The girl of their admiration had been sitting in-front of them and when she had turned around she saw both of the boys grabbing the others shirt and had a fist raised. She didn't even try to get it. "Everyone can hear you idiots. Fight at the school, not in the bus, especially in the morning."

Eddy smiled, that last line would have brought out the right anger that he felt like he deserved from his friend. He let him go and promised to push his buttons more when he was ready.

It wasn't until his third period language art class that he got to see his favorite teacher, . Eddy strolled in with Kenzie who had decided to kind of forgive him for what he had said that morning. Eddy sat with Kenzie Ed and Double-D while Allen decided to go off and talk to some of the soccer players that were in the class.

It wasn't the same talking with them while Allen was off somewhere else and he wanted to speak about it but it just didn't feel right.

He wasn't talking to all of them because of Eddy and Kenzie.

It was his fault.

Even after school when he was walking with Kenzie his mind kept replaying the small talk they had shared, how he didn't eat with them at the lunch table, it was Kevin all over again and he wouldn't be able to handle that.

Speaking of which he saw the jock and Kyle walking together towards the field. Eddy tried to ignore them but whenever he heard Kevin laugh or Kyle say something it made his blood boil. He didn't realize they were talking about him until he heard Kevin say something about his middle name.

"Ya its skipper! Isn't that just the worst one you've ever heard?" Kevin mocked, smiling a little when he saw Eddy turn towards him and clench his fists. "What, you got something to say skipper?"

Kenzie glared at them, taking a step towards them with Eddy. "Shut up Kevin, bet yours is something stupid, it would match your intelligence if it was."

Eddy was gritting his teeth trying not to speak out of line, Edd had warned him not to talk to them, that it could get bad quickly. He tried his best to avoid them but today was not the right day.

"Gonna let your girlfriend talk for you Eddy? Man I never knew you'd be this whipped man."

"I'd say you were whipped by your girlfriend but you don't have one. Must be that shovel chin of yours that drives them away!" He was getting angry.

"Oh you didn't hear that I've been going out with the head cheerleader have you? All the cool kids know about it…but then that would mean you wouldn't so I can see where you'd be confused." Again another jab about how he was higher ranked than Eddy, he hated those kinds. He was so used to them from when he was younger that he was sick of it now.

"He looks like he's about to cry Kevin you might have hit a little below the belt." Kyle was being sarcastic, his smile was proof of that. "I don't think he knew he was a dork, you have to ease him into the roll." Kyle laughed, Kevin smiled back at him and then turned his attention back to Eddy.

"Nah, he's always been a dork, once a dork always a dork."

Eddy wasn't smiling like he usually would or wasn't even thinking of a witty response. He was so angry, so mad that this was happening right now. "This dork has more real friends than you ever could, he also gets to hang out with Nazz a lot more too, oh she told me to tell you that you kiss like a sloppy dog." That was a cheap shot, anytime he talked about Nazz he knew it meant a fight was on his hands with Kevin. He was up for it at a time like now.

Kevin took a couple steps forward, now they were only a couple feet apart from each other. "Only other dorks hang out with you, Nazz just does it 'cause she feels sorry for'ya." He smiled, it was wicked and malicious, Eddy didn't like where this was going. He knew Kevin had something up his sleeves. "The only cool person I think you've ever even talked to was your brother. I heard he came back, now you'll just be baby Eddy again and he'll go back to beating the living crap out of you every day so I don't have to."

Eddy charged at him, fists raised and ready. Before he could even swing Kyle was there to punch him, he stumbled backwards the pain in his cheek blossoming but there was no way something like that would stop him. He roared and charged again.

There were certain things no one was allowed to talk about when Eddy was near.

His brother was one.

They brought back too many memories from a past that should have been locked away.

He threw another punch, this time it landed on its intended target, making Kevin fall backwards and he blocked another punch with his lifted shoulder. He pushed Kyle away and held his hands up once again. If there was one thing Eddy knew how to do pretty well it was fight. From all the tussles he had with his Dad and Brother the two boys that stood in-front of him now weren't nearly as intimidating.

They both regained their balance and stance to try at him again. Kenzie walked next to Eddy but he held an arm out. "Nope, not gonna let you get hurt."

She hit his arm away, she looked kind of offended too. "Same goes for you idiot, you act like I can't take a lot more hits than you can."

He didn't like it, he was going to turn around and yell at her but Allen grabbed her shoulder and pulled her back. "No way, let Eddy and I handle it, if you join in that'll just be too unfair of an advantage for us." He winked at her and stood next to Eddy. "Kyle and I have a past too, if you want Kevin I won't let him interrupt you."

Eddy smiled, this guy was awesome. "Fine by me but after this I want to talk to you!"

Kevin was tough, every punch Eddy landed seemed to have hurt his knuckles just as much as it hurt Kevin. Years of punching Ed had gotten him used to that pain though, he took another swing and knocked Kevin back, but a knee to his gut sent him sprawling on the ground. In times like this, even when his father does this to him Edd's voice would come to his head, a calm soothing voice that always seemed to pull his attention out of the sharp pain.

_Don't take your eyes off of him, you can catch your breath later._

He does just that and swats a fist that was meant for his face, instead it hits his chest and even more air is sucked out of him. Better than seeing stars though, and he kicked Kevin backwards so he can stand once again. It's tough, hitting someone like Kevin, his fists and feet still haven't gotten past the fact that this guy isn't a friend anymore. Hitting him sends ripples of fear and self-doubt inside him. When he charges again he hits him more, not taking any time to give Kevin a break there are harsh mumbled words between them. Curses that fuel their fight, but the punches, kicks, knees and elbows help. All the spare rage and haunting memories are soothed once he lands a clean kick, or when he is hit all the bad thoughts he had are forgotten. It's just him and Kevin, and a small little part knows how his dad feels when he hits Eddy. It's not forgiven but it's understood.

The fight between them ends without a decisive winner, Kevin stands and Eddy spits some blood on the ground. They're about to go again but Kyle calls him off, obviously bruised and bloodied along with Allen. They tell them to watch their back and that they would finish them but they have somewhere to be, and the sad part about it is that Eddy actually believes them, if anything this fight was just a derail of what they had planned.

He's hurt, not nearly as bad as when his father would hit him, but still enough to make him want to lay down for hours on end. There was still something he had to do.

"Allen, c'mere real quick." He took a peak to where Kenzie was, at the moment she was still cussing out the two jocks so it was the perfect time.

When he was looking at him he pushed Allen hard enough to almost knock him over. "Hit me."

The request came out of nowhere and was way too sudden for Allen, who stared at him dumbfound. "Why the hell would I hit you? Kevin seemed to do enough of that." He tried to shrug it off like it was a joke, tried to avoid it, but there was no way Eddy would let him.

"You like Kenzie, I'm about to date Kenzie you had your chance and you gave it up for me." Eddy started, feeling a ping of sadness while he spoke. "Don't act like you aren't angry about it, this is gonna help so go ahead and hit me."

One of Allen's hands subconsciously turned into a fist, but he quickly hides it. His face is straight and even, and a sad tone hints his words. "What if I am mad? Not like hitting you is gonna do much for me besides hurt you."

Eddy shrugs and points to his cheek. "Never know till you try, I don't know how to talk with you about this, this is the only way I think can help. I mean it helped me knocking the stuffing out of Kevin." Then just to tick him off a little he opens one eye. "I mean you would have eventually done this anyways, I would have taken Kenzie from you either way."

The punch is quick, clean, and almost baptizing. Like the shock from the hit knocks all the guilt out of him and all the anger out of Allen. He's seeing stars and is down and out way before he hits the ground.

_Eddy's outside with his brother at the junkyard, rummaging through a box that has some cool looking plastic swords in them. They all seem broken and he wonders how long they had been in there for them to look so darn old._

"_Aye squirt! C'mere real quick and get this screwdriver out of this damn pipe!" His brother sounds angry and kicks the thing. Soot and other smoke comes out of it when he does that and Eddy sticks his tongue out as he approaches._

_The pipe is sticking out of a large pile of garbage and the hole is only small enough for Eddy's hand to fit in, deep inside is the screwdriver. Carefully he fights his hand inside, it's so tight and cramped he has to basically force his hand to go deeper and deeper until he grabs it. The motion of making a fist lodges his hand inside the pipe and he pulls to get it free, which doesn't happen._

"_T-this stupid thing won't let go of my hand! It's eating my hand bro!"_

_His brother doesn't move, doesn't even look all that worried. "C'mon you gotta get that screwdriver, it's the only one I can use for the newest scam I got planned up."_

_He pulls again as hard as he can, for a second when his hand pops out and the screwdriver goes falling backwards he thinks he's done something great, that is until the pile of garbage comes falling on-top of him and he's lying on his stomach._

_His back hurts his hand is in pain and his ankle aches worse than it ever has before. Maybe it's broken?_

_The panicked thought scares him and he calls out. "B-bro help me I think my ankles broken!" When he looks up his brother is already reaching for the screwdriver and running back home. Away from his trapped younger sibling and off to where the house is._

"_You'll get out I believe in you bro, I'll see you at home!"_

_When he was younger the thought of his brother believing him was the greatest thing ever._

_But even with the extra adrenaline that came from wanting to impress his brother he still couldn't get out. It took three hours for Ed and Double-D to find him, turned out that he had sprained the ankle._

_His brother had told him that it was cool that he had a battle sprain._

_He had believed him. Now though, he wouldn't even have been with his brother if he went out to the junkyard._

Eddy woke up on a cramped and soft something. He groans because everything aches, sitting up sucks and he winces with each movement. His cheek is swollen, he pokes at it and his hand is instantly slapped away.

"I can't believe you Eddy, you went out and fought with Kevin when I specifically told you not to rile him up." Edd is nagging him even as he wakes up. He can't help but smile though. Edd looks like he's about to faint, he's pale and is talking way too quickly. "I mean, he punched you! You really thought you could take on Kevin and Kyle at the same time, I'm just glad Allen came to your defense but Kenzie told me he punched you too! What did you say to him that would make him want to hurt you huh Eddy?" He opened his mouth to explain but Edd interrupted him. "And don't you tell me it was his fault because Allen is a nice guy and would not do that unless provoked!"

Eddy gives up on trying to calm him down and looks around the room, Ed is looking over him worriedly and so was Emma. Double-D is closest to him, sitting on a chair by the couch.

"Where are we?" Eddy knows this place looks familiar, but can't think straight after just waking up.

"Don't you try to change the subject on me Mr. I know how you always try to-Mphle!" Eddy puts his hand on Double-D's mouth and stares at him. The realization of where they are dawning on him.

"We're at Kenzie's place."

Double-D moves his head backwards away from Eddy's outstretched arm. "Blegh! Yes we are Eddy, Kenzie and Allen brought you back here while you were unconscious."

"That punk hit you really hard Eddy!" Kenzie came in while Edd had been talking. "I can't believe he would do something like that, he didn't even tell me why he did it, just said it was 'a man's way' or some crap like that."

Eddy rubbed his cheek again to get a feel for how hard he had been hit. Allen really got him good, but it was worth it to have a friend back.

"Hey, can you guys leave? I gotta tell Kenzie something and you are all in the way." Eddy slowly sat up and gestured to the door. Double-D was going to say something but Eddy shook his head. "I have to do something at home today but afterwards I'll walk to your house Edd."

Double-D and Ed looked at the bruised person in-front of them and where going to protest but Emma was beaming and she ushered them out quickly, taking the hint that Eddy hadn't really knew he was giving.

"You could be a little nicer when you ask your friends to leave. Wait a second you kicked them out like it was your house I don't reme-mph!" Eddy was kissing her before she could finish her sentence, roughly pulling her closer to him and hearing the squeak of surprise she made only for him.

She was slowly getting into the kiss and wrapped her arms around him, dragging her fingers through his hair and smiling into his kisses.

When they stopped he leaned his head against hers and gave her his best smirk.

"Be my girlfriend." It should be a question, but after all the time and effort he put into trying to get here, he was tired of asking for permission.

Another kiss answered his statement and they made out for what seemed like an eternity before he begrudgingly left her house. Walking off towards the cul-de-sac, until he spotted a small glowing dot by his brother's car, he squinted his eyes to see in the dark of the night and realized by the smell that it's a cigarette.

And that the person leaning on the car was non-other than his older brother.

"Hey lil guy, long time no see." Each word that escapes his lips sounds disgusting and makes Eddy want to fight all over again.

He doesn't move for a while, just stares as the silhouette of his brother body and his eyes which are dull and barely lit by the cigarette light.

He had always imagined different scenarios where he would curse his brother out, or punch him in the face when he saw him again, but now he was just scared and angry at himself for ever respecting that guy so much, for idolizing him.

He fought the urge to say things he would regret and instead asked the question he had wanted to know since the day before. "Why are you here?"

His brother didn't look surprised, or angry at all by how much hatred was spat out with his question, instead he smiled and took another drag from his cigarette, puffing it out slowly as to prolong the moment even longer. "Why I'm here to take my brother away from this hell hole of course."

There were certain things no one was allowed to talk about when Eddy was near.

His brother was one.

Because of moments like this, his brother was definitely one.

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><p><strong>Poor Eddy <strong>** I feel so bad for writing that ending I feel like I never give them a good ending anymore XD I have to change that. Maybe the chapter after the next I can make happy so you guys don't think I hate the Ed's.**

**Please please please Review for me! It will really help me go faster for you guys!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	17. Words to live by

**Ok I'll talk about this in the end of this story but it is midterms for me right now and they last until about the end of November and then it's Thanksgiving break to get ready for so unless you want to wait until February for me to upload a chapter for this story I'll need about 40 reviews to even start working on the next chapter. I don't think I'm asking for much just like 7 more reviews and they help me so much reading your comments!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ed's, But maybe they own me o.o**

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><p><strong> Words to live by<strong>

Strength, it wasn't a word to Eddy, it was a way of life. To be a leader strength was required, it was the force in which broke barriers, tore down castles, and built cities for others to thrive. People followed others who had strength and were happy to do so. Not the physical kind that Ed possessed, no that was a trait, a talent that couldn't be taught, learned or crafted into. The strength Eddy required was that of will, the strength to carry on no matter what the circumstances were and keep pushing no matter how hard he was pushed back. Strong enough to carry his friends' pain and then some. He lived by always trying to have that strength to keep going.

When everyone said he couldn't scam as well as his brother, he proved them wrong.

When everyone thought he couldn't make friends with the other kids, he became close to them and others as well.

When Double-D and Ed told him he should call CPS because he wouldn't be able to survive under his parents, he not only lived, he thrived.

But when his brother had asked him to leave, all that strength seem to zap away, making him almost feel weightless.

There was finally a way out.

Before he never left because he had things at the cul-de-sac that would never be replaced, his friends, the memories, and now his girlfriend. Yet there was always a small underline to all that, he wasn't going to leave because he couldn't leave. No one had ever really given him a way to leave, if CPS came who's to say where they would put him, with another crazy family? With people who didn't understand him? The risk was always worse than the reward, which was being with his friends and actually having a decent life after high school.

But what his brother offered was the lesser of two evils. He could leave now, go off with his brother, even if he was as good as scum to him. His brothers' words could be a lie for all he knew, but they were better than the constant truth Eddy had to live with whenever he entered that house.

If Eddy left with his brother all the things he stood for would crumble, he would be leaving all his friends pain behind, dropping the burden of strength and replacing it with abandonment, to simply just leave whenever things got too rough.

This weightlessness that he was experiencing made him feel more free than he had in quite some time.

All in all Eddy wished he had the strength to just hit his brother when he said that, to take the metal pipe that was leaning against the porch and hit his brother over the head with it.

But what his brother said left him without strength.

And the answer was simple after the weight was lifted. He took a deep breath, one of the deepest he had ever taken, just to taste the night air as it passed his lips.

Today was the day for drivers-ed and Double-D already had a notebook, labeled and everything neatly opened on the desk of his choice, which was in the front of the class. There were road way signs that hung from the roof were caked in dust, the room was musty and the walls were a weird shade of brown and red. The room was filthy but he would have to get over that while he studied about the driving rules of the road. He had gone straight from school to get a look at this place before anyone else and even though he was a little disappointed about the state of the room overall he was just excited to learn something new. He was only thirty minutes early so after a little time the other kids walked in, Ed coming in five minutes before class.

He sat next to Double-D, the desks were joined together so four people could sit in them at a time, he had wanted to sit in between Ed and Eddy so that he could make sure they didn't slack off in class. It was then that he noticed his loud mouthed brother wasn't around.

"Where's Eddy?" He turned to face Ed and he shrugged.

"I haven't seen him since after school, he told me that he had to go talk to someone."

Eddy had been acting weird all day and he had meant to ask him about it but he was having Nazz relating problems, he had decided he would ask him after school but had totally forgot, he felt bad it wasn't like he was putting Nazz ahead of Eddy but then again it wasn't like he was giving all that much attention to his friends.

"I apologize Ed I don't think I've looked after you as much as you would expect from me." He frowned, guilt fully rubbing his hair.

Ed shrugged. "It's not your fault, you have a girlfriend now, and they are hard work." He spoke like he had experience and Edd was going to question him about that when he heard someone sit beside him.

He turned around, expecting Eddy, but instead it was Marie, she was smiling pleasantly at him and he couldn't help but smile back. Their whole hang out every week thing hadn't really gone as planned, with him missing some days because of Nazz or school work and her missing days as well because of other priorities. They never asked the reason why they would skip days, it just happened. They had been texting a lot though and as mad as that made Nazz she knew that it was just to help them get through a rough patch in the road.

"Hey Edd, you got stuck in this class too?" She didn't sound as excited as he felt, actually she didn't seem happy at all.

He practically gushed when he spoke. "I did! Now we can learn how to drive together, this is great!"

She put her hands up in defense, her eyes a little wide. "I'll never understand how you can be so excited for a boring class like this." She looked over Double-D, then Ed, like she was counting them off. "Where's Eddy anyways?"

He should have felt offended that she had done that but he was doing the same as well. "I actually don't know, where are your sisters?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "They took the stupid class over the summer, now they're driving all over the place and making fun of me, so now I have to do it."

He understood that, he already knew the humiliation he would have if Eddy and Ed had their licenses and rubbed it in his face.

The teacher walked in and Edd panicked for a second, looking around the room and not seeing Eddy, he knew that he had signed up for the class because he had been the person to do it of him!

The man was literally what Edd envisioned from a teacher that had given up a long time ago, he wore a flannel shirt, was balding slightly, and wore glasses that were bigger than necessary. Marie laughed and hit him with her shoulder, which made him chuckle a little. The teacher didn't seem to notice.

"Hello students, I am Mister Gilbert and I will be teaching you how to drive, and no not how to drive your parents crazy." That was supposed to be a joke but none of the students laughed. Even Ed who would usually throw in a pity laugh just couldn't seem to find one.

His face didn't change at all and he started reading out some of the names. Eddy's last name was McGee so it would be after Maries and before Ed's. Double-D tapped his finger on the desk quickly, they were only allowed to miss class twice before they could pass and what if Eddy had a problem or his dad hit him and he had to miss more days. Marie put her hand over his and smiled at him.

"Give him a sec, Eddy's not going to miss this, he knows how upset you'd be." There was an instance that he fully recognized that she was touching him, but it was comforting so he let it pass.

Edd was counting down the names while he read them out and sighed when Eddy finally walked in the classroom, casually sitting next to Ed. He smirked, raising his hand when his name was called. Edd thought about all the things he was going to tell Eddy when he realized Maries hand was still on his, and when he looked at it she moved hers quickly.

There was no apology but he could see that she was blushing, he was too.

Edd wrote down the notes and gossiped with Marie, the people that she knew in school were…different than the people he usually hung out with so it was new hearing the problems that she had to deal with compared to him. He was surprised at how much she had changed from before. He liked the changes and was glad that he was able to talk to her.

Eddy was a whole other problem in itself, there wasn't anything different about him, if anything he looked a little happier than usual, but there was something off. He didn't look at Ed directly in the eyes when he talked to him, he was paying way too much attention to the board. It must have been the Kevin fight, it could have taken a bigger toll on him than Edd imagined.

"Edd, can you take a right turn on a red light?"

He snapped back into attention. "You can as long as there's not a sign that doesn't permit you to do so."

The answer seemed to be good enough because he just nodded and went back to his teaching, or at least his best job at it. Edd decided he'd go back and ask Eddy later, not right after class but when he got him alone. This must have been serious if Eddy was hiding it the way he was.

The end of class couldn't have come any sooner, Edd realized that he had studied way too much before because he knew mostly everything the teacher was talking about. While Ed and Eddy seemed like they had come out of the class knowing more than he had learned.

"That guy needs to learn how to have more than one tone to his voice." Marie rolled her eyes. "I felt like going to sleep in there."

Edd smiled. "I agree, he couldn't even try and entertain us. He knew the class was boring and just wanted to make us bored as well.

"Oh, and here I thought that you were all excited and 'ready to learn!' now realities set in." He noticed that when she faked his voice that it sounded a little manlier than it used to.

He shook his head. "I was greatly mistaken."

They continued to walk while Eddy and Ed trialed behind them. He expected them to make cat calls at them, especially Eddy, but it didn't happen, they just sounded like they were having a pleasant conversation as well.

They walked to the cul-de-sac, Eddy started to walk towards Ed's house and Double-D decided to walk Marie home. They went around the junkyard and Edd talked about some of the experiences him and his brothers had shared there.

"That giant pile right there, that was when Eddy pulled out a screwdriver for his brother, he had the garbage fall on him and sprained his ankle." He sounded sad when he explained it but Marie laughed.

"Oh man that sounds like something Eddy would do too." She kicked a stray can while they continued to walk. "So how are you and Nazz doing?"

The question seemed awkward for some reason, and Edd took a second to answer it. "We're doing fine actually. I still need to ask her to be my girlfriend though, the words just keep escaping me."

Marie nodded, seeming to understand what he meant. He wanted to change the subject but she kept talking. "Maybe that means that you really don't want to be with her like that."

He opened his mouth to object, a little angry by her statement but she spoke before he could. "I'm not saying that you don't, but I mean by what you texted me she still might have feelings for Kevin, and getting in a relationship with someone that has even a tiny feeling for the person before can be bad."

"Trust me, I've thought about that." He whispered, thinking to himself. What if that was true? That his mind was trying to be cautious and not ask Nazz out because she still might like Kevin.

"I'm just saying, you should look for someone that, you know, has only had eyes for you." She looked him over once, with a sad smile.

He looked back, and for a split second he saw her for all her beauty, how her legs filled out her ripped pants, how much skin her shirt showed, and how her eyes only ever looked at him like that. She had always been there for him, cooties or not.

"I…I have to go." He spoke quickly, flustered and practically ran away from her, she didn't stop him, and she didn't even try to run after him. This was for him to find out.

Running didn't get him as far as he would have wished, he ended at the car and sat down inside. Breathing heavily and holding the steering wheel for support. "Note….to self….can only….run…less than a lap…before it becomes impossible." He stayed in the car, listening to his own breathing and waited for the courage to text Nazz.

The response back was quick, as it usually was.

**Ya ill meet you at the truck, everything ok?**

His didn't answer and just tapped his hands on the wheel. Something he had learned was a bad idea when driving, he smiled, he had actually learned something in there. While he waited he thought the conversation through. What she could say, what he would say, and how it might affect their relationship. He would need to decide on what to do. The bond he had worked so hard to make for years, the bond he had been so persistent over. He drummed his fingers faster and shook his head. There was no way he could do this! He had done so much, given so much effort to get this far and now that he had her he was doubting her.

But he needed to be decisive, especially when it came to her, there couldn't be any questions floating in the air of their relationship.

It was him, she had chosen him, but in reality she chose all the things that came with him, the friends, the people that would choose his side over Kevin's. No, the look in her eyes when she had first kissed him, it was all about them at that moment, only the two of them she had made a decision, now it was his turn.

He waited a while for her and she opened the passenger side door. He was tempted not to unlock it for her just so he could have an excuse to not have this conversation.

"Hey Double-D," She greeted, there was worry in her voice.

He looked at her and smiled. "Hello Nazz." His voice didn't sound any better.

This was his moment his time to decide, either tell her what he was thinking, or what he wanted. What he wanted was her, was the doubt worth it, was the pain worth it?

He smiled and reached his hand out to hold hers. She was worth it.

She shook her head and sighed. "I thought you were mad at me!" She playfully hit him with her free hand.

He laughed, while she continued. "I just didn't want to give anything away to you, it was supposed to be a surprise."

She stopped looking at him and tilted her head in the cutest way. "What is?"

Back to the drumming. "Well, this whole time I've been…well seeing you I haven't asked you to be…" He couldn't finish his sentence, drumming and biting his lip. He was still there, in their lives, Kevin. She could always go back. She would hurt him if she did.

She would break him if she did.

"Asked me to be what?" No worry was in her voice this time, she saw where this was going.

He thought it through again. "To be my girlfriend." There was no more hesitation, he had to make a decision, he wanted her, there was doubt sure, but he had to live with put the effort into it.

She played with his hand, pulling at the fingers slowly, like she was thinking too. "So you picked me." She smiled, her words echoed in the car.

"Of course I chose you," He smiled and scratched his hair. "I mean after you made me look so good I couldn't choose anyone else." He sighed and looked over at her shyly. "I was trying to say something witty like Eddy, except mine wasn't at all."

She laughed loudly, pecking his cheek, her lips stayed there a little longer than usual. "No it wasn't, it's ok though I didn't become your girlfriend to hear quick remarks from you."

He perked up when she spoke. "G-girlfriend, so you're saying yes?" It was a dumb question, I mean she answered it already, but he had to ask, he had to know.

She opened the door and started walking away. "It's your turn to worry now." She smiled at him, leaning forward and kissing him, just as he was about to kiss her back she pulled away and skipped off.

He realized three things in that moment. Nazz skipped when she messed with him, and for a moment, even a second he had a girlfriend!

The last thing was simple, he would follow through with his decision.

Another day, another realization.

"Ed go take the garbage out." His mother commanded, he was sitting on the floor watching a movie with his family.

No, that wasn't right.

With Sarah's family.

"Ok mom." He got up slowly, looking behind at the movie as he walked and bumped into the shelf by Sarah's chair there were two vases on it, Ed grabbed one, his grip way too strong for it and it broke on his hand. The other one fell on Sarah's hand and broke under her, she screamed out when it hit her fingers and stepped on the glass that was on the floor. Another scream and she fell back into the chair.

Ed was frozen in place while Sarah held her bleeding foot, she winced and tried to hold her scream back. Their mother wasn't able to hold her voice back like Sarah.

"Ed, how could you do that?!" She got up and rushed to his sister while their dad rushed over and grabbed Ed by his shoulders.

Why did he keep calling them their dad or their mom in his head? That wasn't true.

They were Sarah's.

Her dad kept yelling at Ed, talking about how stupid he was for not watching where he was going, how he needed to learn how to grow up and stop hurting Sarah.

"I'm sorry…"He whispered throughout all the yelling. He hated the way his parents called him stupid, when Eddy or one of the cul-de-sac kids said it the word wasn't as harsh, his parents said it like he meant nothing. He looked at his hand and saw blood drip from it. "I'm bleeding too…" Again another whisper that couldn't be heard.

He was grounded for a week, he sat on his bed and watched his hand continue to bleed. He couldn't help but be angry, at Sarah for being spoiled her whole life, her parents for being the ones who did it, and him for not being good enough to be spoiled. It festered while he sat down and looked at the flecks of red drip down his hand and on the floor.

It wasn't fair.

That's when it clicked, the word he had been searching for ever since he understood he was being mistreated. It wasn't fair, and that's what he wanted it to be.

He wrapped his hand up, it would heal by the next day and started texting Emma, about how she was lucky that things where fair for her, how his parents treated him compared to Sarah, how he disliked them both.

And she was there to answer them, all his questions and all his anger. He would talk to Eddy and Double-D later, they understood his pain all too well, they had it worse enough without him adding to it. He texted Emma until he fell asleep.

From there on out fairness would be the word he lived by, his word. It was his alone and not something he would share.

"Look at you finally asking Nazz to be your girlfriend!" Eddy slapped Edd on the back and he coughed before he smiled.

"I'm just sad it took me this long to do it." He scratched his head.

Nazz shrugged, she was standing next to him at the bus stop. "It wasn't like we weren't doing anything regular couples were, we just didn't have a label yet."

Eddy leaned against the bus stop pole and jacked a thumb at himself. "Just didn't have the bravery like me, it's official, I had a girlfriend first."

Edd groaned and slapped his hand against his head. "Eddy, this wasn't a competition…"

"You only say that when you're the loser!"

"Um…you guys." Kenzie tried to voice, but Edd wasn't done yet.

"Well if you want to make it a competition I had my first kiss before you!"

"That's not a competition!"

"Hey…guys…"

"You're only saying that because I beat you in it!"

"Hey!"

They both looked at Kenzie and she shook her head. "I don't know why I'm always the one to break up fights…" She pointed off to Ed and Emma, who were talking away from them. "Eddy, Ed asked Emma out a week before you did."

Eddy's jaw dropped to the floor and Double-D had to lean on Nazz for support.

"What, how did he do it?" He looked up at Nazz, and when she shrugged he directed his question to Kenzie.

"After a football game he asked her to be his girlfriend, all mushy like too." She pointed to Eddy, "Unlike you."

Her boyfriend wasn't even paying attention to her, instead he ran towards Ed and grabbed his coat. "So you think you won do'ya how could you ask her out without telling us!?" He was more hurt than angry.

Ed looked scared, then looked from him to Emma. "I didn't know having a girlfriend was something you wanted to know!" His excuse was a valid one, when he had asked the football players they had told him that having a girlfriend was difficult, he didn't want his difficulties to affect his friends.

"Of course it's something I wanted to know, I would have asked Kenzie out a lot sooner if you would'a told me!" Eddy was shaking Ed and he hugged him tightly.

"I'm sorry Eddy, I'll tell you next time I swear!"

Emma looked over at Ed. "Next time?"

Kenzie looked over at Eddy. "So you asked me out to win a competition?"

And just because she could Nazz looked at Edd. "So you kissed me first just so you could win a competition?"

They had a lot of explaining to do, and the Ed's were unfortunately not able to.

Edd did a lot of arguing with Eddy and Ed while they tried to find someone to blame, Eddy for being a loudmouth (then again that was expected now), Edd for egging them on (Eddy's words not his), or Ed for not telling them he had a girlfriend (they hadn't really ever talked about it with him though) by the end of the bus ride they were all laughing.

"I can't believe you actually asked her out you Casanova you!" Eddy hit Ed on the arm and he smiled.

"I couldn't have done it without you guys, I heard your voices in my brain." He pointed to his head and wiggled it. "It was so cool!"

"Well I'm just glad we were able to find girls that can deal with us." Edd pointed out, he didn't get the recognition he felt like he deserved when Eddy stuck his tongue at him.

"More like girls that can keep up with our awesomeness!" Eddy smiled and jumped up when the bus finally stopped, he lead them out to their first period and smiled when he entered the room.

He smiled.

In Mrs. Sniders class, he never did that.

Edd remembered what he was supposed to ask him and mentally cursed himself. Again he had let the worries over Nazz cloud his judgment. He wouldn't let it get to him again and he didn't let anything halt his train of thought. Not even class, he looked for Eddy during lunch but he met with Kenzie instead.

"Hey Double-D, what's up?" She seemed to get over the skirmish they had all had during the bus stop.

"I'm looking for Eddy actually, have you seen him?"

She pat the seat next to her. "Join the party, I just got done texting him."

He sat by her, pulling his lunch out of his backpack and taking nervous bites. "I don't get it, I can just feel something off with him lately, ever since the fight."

Kenzie nodded in agreement. "It either has to do with what happened with Allen, or with his brother."

The last part sent shivers down Edd's spine and he cautiously looked at her, even uttering those words was a curse. "What did you say?"

Once she saw his face she frowned. "It was either Allen punching him or something with his brother, I don't know Kevin said something about it and Eddy freaked out when they fought."

"What exactly did Kevin say?" Edd sounded anxious, extremely nervous and it scared Kenzie.

"Something about him being back, what's wrong Edd?" She scanned his face for a tell-tale sign but he wasn't giving one.

He needed to find him, he needed to get to Eddy before something bad happened. He got up to leave but Kenzie grabbed his arm and stopped him from moving. "Don't you leave me here!" She yelled, a little louder than necessary but it wasn't noticed by the loud lunchroom. "Why is this so bad?"

Edd let out a breath and sat down, he scratched his head and began with a simple story. The story of how Eddy had once looked up to his brother, how he had thought he was so grand and perfect, how he had lied to himself. His brother had always been a cruel and egotistical person, to a point where he only cared about himself and no one else. How he had left Eddy and how they had found him later on.

How bad he had treated Eddy.

He told her all the things he could remember from him, skipping the parental issues Eddy had.

"I don't know why Eddy's brother is back, but if he didn't tell Ed or me then I don't know what's going on." He was quiet, he wasn't even looking at her anymore, just staring at the lunch table.

She didn't say anything, he wanted to know what she thought but Eddy's dilemma was on his mind. His brother being back was something different than his parents. He could always run away from them, but his brother was another issue to a past that would always be with him.

Eddy didn't meet them at the cafeteria Edd's fifth period math class was different than Eddy's and Ed's so he wasn't able to see him then either. In sixth period Eddy sat with them and spoke like he normally would, and Edd kept his anger in with every word.

When they got back to the drivers-ed class Edd still had his problems in mind, he had wanted to catch Eddy after school but he must have sensed something was wrong because he hung around Ed and the other cul-de-sac kids, making sure Kenzie and Edd couldn't speak with him.

Marie walked in and sat next to him like she had before. "So did you think about what I told you yesterday?" That questioned was loaded, Edd knew.

"I ended up asking her to be my girlfriend, I'm going to give it my best shot with her, be more decisive with my choices when they concern her." He wasn't smiling when he said that, he wanted to let her down easy, not give her the same treatment he had thought he received from Nazz.

She nodded her head slowly and smiled at him, even he could tell it was fake, and again he saw her beauty shine even if it was melancholy. "I'm happy for you Edd." That was the first time she had called him Edd in a long time.

He returned her smile even if he didn't want to. "Thank you Marie, I appreciate it." He didn't appreciate her pleasant words, he appreciated the fact that she didn't yell at him like she would have, that she didn't try to embarrass him.

He appreciated that she had been there for him all those years ago.

They turned back to the teacher and neither one of them said a word to the other, it was so much different than the day before.

He thought about that while he waited for Eddy at his house, mindlessly doing his homework. Eddy was probably doing his homework at his own home before his dad got back from work.

Again Edd was tasked with thinking the conversation through, this one was harder, much harder. With Nazz there was a consistent personality that he could match in his head, with Eddy he didn't know who he would get if he mentioned his brother. Would he get mad? Would he be sad? Or would he revert to something Edd had never seen before?

When the door opened Edd pretended not to notice, until Eddy sat in-front of him and handed him his math homework.

"Hey, check this over for me I have no idea if I did it right." His usual tone was still there and it bothered him but he took the paper without saying anything and checked over it.

"So are you going to give me the silent treatment all day?" Eddy asked, the smirk on his face was there, Edd knew that without even having to look.

He had gotten the first three questions right even wrote out the answers, which was weird, Eddy usually didn't give this kind of effort without being asked. Why could he give this effort to his friends?

"If you are that's ok with me, more time for me to watch TV."

He had gotten all the answers on the first page right, he looked over the title of the math sheet, 'Business problems and their solutions' it seemed Eddy was good at fixing the problems that business's had, it wasn't a surprise seeing as he saw the world as one big dollar bill. That's when he realized that Eddy had only given him the paper so he could distract him for a little while longer, the truth was Eddy didn't want to talk about this.

He was scared.

"Eddy, I don't want to dive any deeper in this than you do." He started off cautiously, looking over the paper at Eddy's sad expression. "I just want to know why your brother is here and what he said. I'm guessing you've been talking to him during lunch." He was connecting the dots now, which was why he hadn't seen him in a while.

Eddy shook his head slowly, his eyes were a little misty. "I haven't talked to him in two days." He started, clicking the remote between each channel, neither of them were paying attention to them. "He came back because he wants to take me away."

Edd dropped the paper, letting it fall to the floor and Eddy kept turning the channels, it was like his mantra. Neither of them said anything, Edd just continued to stare at Eddy and he didn't do anything but push the 'next channel' button on the remote, he needed to ask, he needed to know.

"What did you tell him Eddy?" The words hung in the air, filling it with a mixture of anger and sadness.

Eddy put the remote down, ran his hands through his hair and shrugged. "I told him to get the hell away from me." Edd almost sighed but Eddy's expression didn't change. "I also told him to come back at the end of winter break and ask me again."

Edd pounded his palms on the table when he got up, quickly running over to Eddy. "Why?! Why would you even consider a proposal like that from him?!" He wanted to grab him, shake some sense into him but Eddy looked too sad to touch.

"I'm not strong enough to say no yet, not now at least, it's because every part of me wants to leave this place, not because of you or Ed or anyone else." He sounded so angry when he continued. "You all seem like you're doing so well and what am I doin'? Sitting here and dragging you down." Eddy looked at him and stood up. "You have Nazz now, don't say you don't because you do, you showed her something you wouldn't show Ed or me, we found out by accident." He knew he was talking about his hair.

"It was because of both of you I had the strength to show her." He quickly added, but that wasn't entirely true, not once had he thought about them when he called her.

He shook his head, seeing through the lie. "Look at Ed, didn't even tell us he had a girlfriend, you know, it seems like we're drifting apart kinda, and I can't live with that. I'd rather leave than watch us go every which way." He looked at him and for a second Edd could see all the pain Eddy had kept pent up. "This is all I got, all the strength I have and I don't think it's enough, I mean do you?" Eddy questioned.

And here he was, having to be decisive. He could be selfish, tell Eddy what he wanted to hear and boost his ego, keep him here with them so that they could have their leader, but that would be a lie. No one was strong enough to keep doing what Eddy did every single day, to have his past haunt him like it did, to have his once close friend leave him and fear that his brothers might do the same.

No he couldn't tell him he was strong enough.

"It's not enough Eddy." He relented, holding his head down in defeat. Eddy hung his head but Double-D gripped onto his shoulder "But you've never been one to give up Eddy, if you don't have enough strength now, you will find a way to get stronger. Lean on us and we'll carry you in your time of need." He held Eddy's shoulder harder and smiled, Eddy needed this. "You'll get stronger and the only way you can is if you stay here with us, we were never drifting apart Eddy, don't be stupid." That was the first time he had called Eddy stupid and he got a different reaction then he thought he would.

Eddy kept his head down, almost shrugging Edd's arm off of him. "I can't get any stronger Double-D… I aint givin'up…I just can't keep going."

And for the first time Edd didn't feel like he had gotten through to his brother.

It hurt.

**Not gonna lie, I like endings like this! Haha I'm tired of finishing problems in the last part of chapters like this and having it be all good again! That's not how it works and I wont have it work like that in my story, problems take time, wounds have to scab over to heal, and people have to grow on their own time! I actually changed the ending in the last second because I didn't want it to just end there.**

**REVIEW PLEASE! I've decided that I'll upload another chapter when I get 40 reviews! It is midterms and unless I have a reason to tear my eyes from studying I won't!**

**Thanks for reading **

**Oh and I added that pipe part just for you TheWeepingDove! That was a funny review.**


	18. Brothers and Liars

**40 reviews so here it is, the next chapter! I'm actually liking this so I'll say 7 more reviews and I'll start working on the next chapter for you all. **** Thanks for all the reviews you guys and gals I really really appreciate them!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ed Edd or Eddy…for me to own them I would need original ideas, and I don't have those!**

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><p>Edd turned in the applications to the man standing by the cashier. An older man that stared at the papers carefully before taking them with a nod and reading them over quickly. His green eyes scanning the words on each of the three papers. Those eyes looked like they'd been worn out, he didn't look broken but experienced, not old but matured, this man seems to garner respect the second the Ed's had walked into the pizza shop. Yes, they had to get jobs now and yes, they wanted to work together. It had been Carter who had called Ed and told him that his grandpa was asking for about four abled bodied people to work at his pizza shop since it was starting to get a lot more business. What with the colleges around the Peach Creek and the city being expanded. Carter couldn't find four people but three was enough to make up the slack of the restaurant. As of right now the place hadn't even opened, yet Double-D had made sure to get them there early and in proper attire to look professional when they had visited.<p>

He wanted to question why Eddy was going seeing as he was deciding whether to stay or not but he shoved that vindictive thought out of his head.

That conversation had hurt, hit him in a place that he hadn't expected from Eddy. The talk had been brief after he had said what he said. With a simple 'I hope you change your mind' and him just nodding. Double-D didn't want to think of that right then and there, right now he just wanted to give him a reason to stay.

He would find that reason no matter what it took.

"Carter said you three were good workers, he actually talked a lot about you…Ed." He looked them over before mentioning to the tallest of them, the one who was playing with his combed hair. "You think you can whip these other ones into shape?"

Ed salute the man and nodded. "Of course, I'll get'em workin' by sundown." He had no idea what he was saying and the man didn't smile like anyone else would.

"So you already thing you've got the job?" Ed didn't know how to respond and he just nodded at him. "I'll decide if you did or didn't, but I like the confidence kid." He put the papers down in a drawer and fiddled with his watch that looked like it was riding up his arm. "Me and the Mrs. will discuss, and look over your applications The background check will come in about two days so be back here by Tuesday at about two." Before they could even think to ask him a question he turned around and went in the back. Leaving them to their thoughts.

"Did that go ok?" Eddy asked, tugging on his vest and frowning.

Double-D scratched his hair and realized he needs to get a haircut, something he'd ask Nazz later on.

"_You showed her something you wouldn't show Ed or me, we found out by accident."_

The memory mad him stop while they were walking out of the pizza shop. He had been leaving them to go to Nazz lately. He had understood this a while ago but still continued to hang out with her anyways. Nazz was always something the considered impossible until recently and he had been caught up in the moment's with her, he hadn't even hung out with them all that much during the summer.

And now all he was doing was staring sadly at Eddy and he just shook his head slowly when he noticed. Telling him that they couldn't have this kind of conversation in front of Ed. Double-D could deal with his emotions a little differently than Ed, if Ed found out it would absolutely kill him.

He took a couple of steps forward and kept walking with them all the way home. How was he supposed to give Eddy a reason to stay when he couldn't even give him the attention he deserved, even with a girlfriend Eddy was at least genuinely there for Ed and Double-D. Even with all of his problems he always seemed to put them first.

"I think we'll get the job." Ed stated, actually sounding confident. "Carter talked about me!" He did a little jig and they laughed cutting the tension in half in a way that only Ed could.

Eddy pat Double-D and Ed on the shoulder and smiled at them. "Well, I'm off to go see my girlfriend." He squirmed in his vest. "After I go change. I'll see you guys at the clubhouse later tonight." He turned around to leave and ran off in the direction of Kenzie's house.

It was awkward having such a big secret and not being able to tell Ed. He didn't want him to feel left out but it was Ed. Him and emotions didn't really mix all too well. Not that Double-D was an expert on that or anything. He looked at Ed while he scratched his chin and jawline, he had been doing that for about a week now and Edd was starting to worry.

"You have a bug bite Ed?"

"No," He shook his head and kept scratching. "It's just really itchy." He shrugged when the spurt of itchiness stopped and they started walking again towards Double-D's house.

Ed looked at his house while they passed by, no her house. He can't really decide anymore he hasn't been over there in a week and he dreads when one day he'll have to man up and actually visit. That's all he can do now is just visit and hope one day they'll actually miss him.

He was walking behind Edd but he ran right into him when his hatless friend froze. He looked over him and towards the direction his eyes were and noticed the car in the driveway, he smiled fondly. His parents were home.

He didn't really know what to do, should he leave like Eddy did whenever Double-D's parents decide to stop by? Or should he go say hi like he did when Emma's parents were watching him while he took her out somewhere? He was about to just walk over to the junkyard but a delicate hand squeezed his arm. Of course it was Double-D but he wasn't looking at him, just at the car.

Then he turned to him and gave him a big smile that he hadn't seen in a while.

"Come on Ed, let's go." He's practically pulling the bigger Ed towards the house and even though his body felt a bit awkward, he didn't really know it. His tummy was tickling and he didn't know what that feeling meant. Maybe he was hungry.

They walk in casually and see his parents sitting at the kitchen table, each drinking a cup of tea. Edd's dad isn't as tall as Ed had thought he would be, he hadn't actually really seen Edd's parents in a long long time so this was almost new to him. The man wore formal black glasses, his hair was kept and grey streaks could be spotted on each side of his head and he was cleanly shaven. He had defined facial features and Ed wondered if Double-D would ever look that grown up. He understood where Edd had gotten his softer looks from, all his mom. The woman had her black hair in a bun, she was a skinny and her face looked smooth without any wrinkles, she was taking another sip of her tea and Ed noticed how pretty she looked. How her eyes were a light brown and how calm she looked even while a smile was on her face. It was different seeing Double-D's parents now that he was older. They looked smaller all of a sudden and he wondered why his own parents didn't feel that way to him.

Well they weren't his parents anymore.

"Hello Ed, Eddward." Double-D's dad finally spoke after sometime of meaningful stares from both parties. "You've really grown Ed, you look more like a man than when I last saw you."

"Oh shucks, thanks Double-D's dad." Ed was blushing slightly, he hadn't seen a change in himself except for his hair getting longer. He hadn't noticed how he looked a little stronger after football practice or how his chin was actually starting to become more defined.

"Hello father." Double-D greeted, walking over and sitting down next to them. He nodded at his mother and she returned the gesture. It was kind of weird to see how they said their hellos, Ed expected hugging and kisses but that wasn't what was happening.

"Have a seat Ed, we have some time before we have to leave." Edd's mother finally spoke up and Ed noticed how melodic her voice was.

He sat next to his brother and tapped his hand on the table. He didn't know what he was supposed to do, could he hug them like he did with other people?

"How is your business trip been?" Double-D looked a lot more comfortable all of a sudden while he spoke. His hands were on his lap, he had a small smile on his face and he looked genuinely interested.

His father leaned forward slightly and Ed guessed that was how he showed he was excited to talk about something. "It was fantastic, we were able to expand our pharmaceutical department in Lime stream." Ed had heard about that place, it was in another city, about a couple of hours away. "We also doubled our selling's there and now we are working on the Biochemists and Biophysicists research facilities. You do remember where those are right?" It was like a testing question from a father to a son and Edd looked like he relished the moment.

"Of course, in the east in New Cork." He smiled brightly at his father and the man nodded, content with the answer given.

"Yes, I'd actually be very pleased if you came with us to see it during your winter break." His mom put her drink down and sat up straight.

That was a surprise, he was never allowed to go with them. Especially somewhere so far away. "Really?!" He couldn't help but burst when he heard the news. "I'd love to see your workplace, it be sensational." He really couldn't find the words right now because it felt so new to him. He'd dreamed of this moment, going off with his parents somewhere, it's not a vacation but its close enough to send shivers down his spine.

The ambient mood in the room was enough to interest Ed. It made him happy to see Double-D smile like that. He didn't know exactly what they were talking about but it seems pleasant. He wanted to join in but he didn't know what to say and just watched them give each other approving glances until Double-D looked at him and he noticed his smile waver slightly.

Winter break, that's his last hope to get Eddy to stay. He can't just leave his friends like he usually would. Ed was smiling at him but he could tell something was wrong and Double-D wanted to cry and yell and scream like a child but if his parents think he's ready to go with them to see their workplace than that means they consider him an adult and he can't do that anymore.

"Actually, I'll have to consider your proposal." He's hurt and his voice can't hide that. His parents don't notice it but Ed does.

His mother looked curious but his father only nodded. "I know this might be a lot for you to handle in such a limited time, but I'd be very happy if you came."

And that just makes it worse. The fact that his dad said that means he really wants it to happen, usually he would just nod but he had actually said that he wanted him to come. Edd wanted to just disappear but he smiled anyways.

"I'll call you in a week or so with my answer. If I don't figure it out by today."

His father nodded then and Edd felt like he missed out on a chance of some sorts. They still talked, chatted about current events, how Ed and his girlfriend were doing and lastly Double-D and his girlfriend.

He didn't show it but Double-D could tell that his dad enjoyed picking fun of him with that particular subject.

"How are you and your girlfriend getting along?" His dad leaned on his hands and he could see his mom's eyes zone in on him.

He pulled the collar of his shirt, it was getting hotter. "F-fine, we've been talking a lot about school and we're planning to go to the mall in the city soon after I get my license."

His mom didn't seem to like that idea. "So you plan to drive with her illegally, it takes six months before you can drive with someone else Eddward." It had been a while since he had felt this threatened from his mom and he gulped.

"No!" He blurted and then covered his mouth to pretend to clear his throat. "O-of course not, it's just as a celebration. I'll take the bus with her."

His father put his hand on hers and she calmed down. "We would actually like to meet her, we should be here until close to eleven so I hope you can bring her over for dinner."

Double-D's hands were sweating and he had to wipe them on his pants to feel less hot. "That would be fine, I'll text her and let her know." He didn't even reach for his phone though, he knew how rude that would be, he didn't take etiquette classes for no reason, his parents were very adamant about being polite.

His mom smiled and his dad clapped his hands together, the action made Ed jump slightly. "The same goes for you Ed, we'd love for your girlfriend to visit as well."

Ed lit up like a firecracker. "Ya! You could meet Emma." He didn't feel how awkward the situation should have been, he was too happy about brining Emma over.

Double-D smiled, he usually called or texted his parents almost twice a week. He would tell them about the problems that Ed or Eddy would deal with, obviously leaving out the abuse. They knew that Ed was having problems with his parents and that Eddy was having problems with his brother. It was nice that they wanted to be a parental figure to them both, even though one of them wasn't there at the time.

Eddy wasn't having a better experience, as of right now Kenzie's sister was staring at him like he was the worst thing to ever touch the earth.

Kenzie's sister, Kate. Looked almost exactly like her just older, with longer black hair and a nose ring that was actually kind of cute. She was more mature looking, she seemed a bit more feisty than Kenzie which was actually difficult to do but overall she was just difficult. She was really cute too.

He shook the thought out of his head.

"So you're the guy dating my sister?" The way she said that made him angry but he knew he had to keep his composer for once.

He was so excited to go to the house alone with Kenzie but that hadn't happened. Her sister had been sitting on the couch watching T.V. apparently getting home early from a college weekend break.

Kenzie scowled at her sister but Eddy shrugged. "I know you thought I'd be shorter and less attractive." He jacked a thumb at himself confidently and he could feel them both roll their blue eyes.

"I actually thought she'd date Allen out of all the guys she knew." The sentence wasn't meant to hurt Eddy but it did. Or maybe she was actually trying a jab at him, he didn't know.

Kenzie just shrugged and smiled. "Come on, Allen and I go way back, if he wanted to he would have asked me out a long time ago, we're just friends anyway." He noticed how nonchalant she was about the subject and that made his hairs stand on end.

He tapped his hands on the couch that he was sitting on. He watched Kate look him over again and he wanted to blush but he didn't know why she was looking at him.

"So, Eddy what do you do?" The question was asked out of actual interest and not of spite so Eddy took no offense to it, heck is was probably how he would ask the question too.

"I'm getting a job at the Pizza place if that's what'cha mean." He remembered that they would have to go back to that shop and he kind of dreaded working.

She nodded, accepting the answer she pointed at him with a perfectly filed nail and he perked up. "How did you and my sister meet again?" Kenzie had been pretty ambiguous about Eddy and her relationship when they talked and she wanted to know the facts.

He shrugged like it was nothing. "I impressed her when we were playing some pigeons from Lemon brook." His smile was almost contagious. "She must have fallen for me then, I wasn't really surprised, I looked like a stud."

Kate smiled and he noticed that it was the only nice gesture he had received from her. "You're funny Eddy, I can see why my sister likes you so much." Even though it shouldn't have, that line made him fidget.

Kenzie smiled, she was sitting close enough to him and nudged him with her shoulder. "Ya I think I'll keep him."

The intimacy was there in a way but Eddy had a way of ruining it. "You think? You better know before someone else snatches me up!"

She looked over at him, already starting to get angry. "And who's going to snatch you up huh? Maybe that girl you were checking out yesterday!?"

Eddy froze for a second before he opened his mouth. "For the last time I thought I knew her!"

"Oh, so you thought you knew her butt well that's comforting!"

"I wasn't lookin' at her butt!"

"Carful there, any closer and you guys will be kissing." Kate pointed out and it wasn't until then that they realized they were a little too close to each other.

They moved back and Kate shook her head. "To be young and in love."

That's when Eddy's phone rang and he answered it quickly, not really caring if it were rude or not. "What's up Double-D?" He paused, waiting for the response and nodded when it was done. "Ya, that's fine I'll bring her over and we can eat." He turned towards Kenzie and she gave him a questioning look.

When he hung up Kenzie tilted her head, her bangs falling to the side in the cutest way. "What did Double-D want?"

Eddy couldn't help but stare at her eyes for a moment before answering. "He wanted us to come over and eat with his parents, apparently they asked for us."

Kate clapped her hands to get their attention and they looked over at her. "Excellent, then when you guys are done eating I can take Eddy out for a little date."

Eddy blushed then, not even able to hide it. He looked over at Kenzie who was clenching her teeth.

"My boyfriend, not yours." He liked that she was being possessive of him and couldn't help but smile at how angry she looked.

Kate didn't seem to waiver and just shrugged. "This isn't like before, I won't steal your boyfriend." It kind of scared Eddy how calm Kate was. "I just want to talk to him is all."

Kenzie looked at Eddy, a faint sadness in her eyes and he just shrugged at her signifying that it would be all right. "Fine…" She lamented, crossing her arms and pouting, Eddy noticed how her lips peaked out and he wanted to kiss them. They sat there and had mostly idle chit chat until it was close to the time for them to leave.

They left while Kate was watching T.V. and she just waved aimlessly at them. The second the door closed Eddy pulled Kenzie over to him and kissed her. She flinched and yelped in surprise but finally eased into it a lot slower than Eddy would have liked. The whole time he was in the house he just wanted to kiss her, so much so he thought Kate might just feel the tension but luckily no one had but Eddy.

One of her hands found his shoulder and the other one went in his hair, he grabbed her waist and pulled her closer until she had to pull back to breath, apologetically smiling at him. He was a little miffed but just continued to stare at her.

"What…was that for?" The surprise of the kiss still hadn't worn off and she was still trying to steady her wobbly legs.

He nuzzled her neck and peppered it with kisses, she tilted her head to oblige. "I don't know, I just wanted to kiss'ya and Kate was in the way."

He didn't know if she was smiling but he could hear her giggle. "Well sorry my family decides to visit every now and again."

He looked up at her, that small smile, how it showed perfectly white teeth, how her blue eyes always stared at him like he was hers and hers alone. "You better be sorry." He smirked and captured her lips again.

He moved slowly against her, testing and tasting every time their lips met and smacked together. He was just about to lean her against the door when she put her hands on his chest and pulled back.

"We have to go, if we aren't perfectly on time Double-D might call the cops."

He tried to go in for another kiss but she moved, he was only able to get her cheek. "C'mon, ten more minutes." He went for another one but she shook her head.

"No, let's go, we can continue later." The way her voice dropped when she said that excited Eddy and he gulped.

"Fine, I'll hold'ya to it though." He smirked at her and she rolled her eyes, grabbing his hand and walking quickly towards the house.

When they knocked on the door and Edd's dad answered the door Eddy smiled. It was rare for his parents to actually stay an entire day, let alone actually be at home.

They weren't bad people just busy with managing a large business. After Christmas he had realized just how kind they could be. He smiled at the man and shook his hand, he noticed how firm the handshake was and tried to match it as quickly as he could before he walked in.

"Nice to see you again Eddy, I take it this is Kenzie." He nodded towards her and she smiled up at him.

Eddy looked past them towards Double-D and Nazz, who were talking to Double-D's mom. Nazz looked a little nervous while Edd just looked like he was scared.

"So your wife is giving Double-D the third degree huh?" He smiled when Edd noticed him and flush.

His father nodded and sniffed slightly. "Yes, I wouldn't go near them if I were you."

Eddy nodded and looked over to Emma and Ed talking to each other. He walked over with Kenzie and the girls immediately started chatting about something Eddy couldn't care less about.

"How did Edd's parent treat you big fella?" Eddy hit him on the shoulder gently and he smiled.

"They were super nice to me." He hit Eddy on the shoulder next but he visibly flinched and hissed in pain.

He rubbed his arm and rolled his eyes. "I think you playing football's gonna kill me one of these days."

Ed looked at his fist then Eddy's shoulder. "You don't look dead, please don't be dead!" He was about to hug him but he stepped back and pushed at his chest.

"Whoa, watch it lumpy, if you hug me I might actually keel over!" He held up his hands like he was going to karate chop him.

Ed looked at him and pouted. "B-but I wanna hug."

Eddy was going to yell at him but Emma and Kenzie were looking at him disapprovingly and he rolled his eyes. "C'mere…umph!" Another long crushing hug and he wiggled in his grasp, then he realized something surprising and pulled his head out of his arms. "You…you smell like soap…" It was surprising, this was a huge thing.

He nodded like it was nothing and motioned towards Emma when he let Eddy go. "Emma told me that I gotta make myself clean and I like showers now, they are so warm and fuzzy and nice." He closed his eyes and hugged himself like he was trying to mimic the warmth of a shower.

Eddy looked at Emma for a long time and after a little while hugged her. She froze in place and Kenzie looked at them for a while but he did it.

"Thank you so much Emma." Eddy hugged her tighter, this was a huge thing, if Ed stopped smelling it meant a world of differences to him and Double-D.

She was able to wiggle a hand out and pat his shoulder. "N-no problem Eddy, umm." She was her shy self again and looked over at Kenzie who bopped Eddy on the head hard enough to make him let go.

"Hey! First that girl now Emma who's next?"

"Are you really bringing that up again!?" Eddy got ready to fight again but Edd's mom called them over to eat, it looked like the food was ready.

Eddy looked at the foreign meal in-front of him and it looked like bread…with flower on it. There was a meat smell that emit from it that Eddy couldn't place.

"What is this stuff?" He asked, poking his with a fork and sticking his tongue out at it.

Edd was going to yell at him but his parents laughed, his dad pointed at Eddy's dish. "That's called pastilla Eddy, you'll like it trust me." He smiled pleasantly and Double-D wondered why, even if it wasn't their kid he knew that politeness was always a critical part of their life and one that they wanted to pass on to others, this was just different.

Eddy poked at it again and snuck a look at everyone else that seemed to be enjoying theirs, Double-D's parents knew of Ed's stomach and had a giant stack of them on two plates for him and he was literally shoveling them into his mouth with his hands. Emma was nibbling on hers and smiling while she watched Ed eat and Kenzie was holding hers in her hand and munching on it.

Eddy finally shrugged and gave into the glances Edd was giving him and took a bite. It was…different, it had sugar on it he swore by how sweet it was but it matched the meat taste that soaked through the bread after a while in his mouth that it was actually pretty good. He took another bite, and then another until he was reaching for more and he was quite content and happy when he got to the fourth one.

"So Eddward, have you given thought to the lab visit?" Edd's mother spoke after she was done chewing.

Eddy hadn't noticed that Double-D was looking at him until he glanced up at him. "I don't know just yet, I'm thinking about staying here and helping Eddy with a project that we have for our English class."

Eddy was sitting in-front of Edd and he frowned slightly. "What's the lab visit?"

Ed tried to answer but his mouth was full and Edd's dad laughed lightly at that. "I plan on taking Eddward to New Cork to see the family lab, show him the business a little." He smiled softly at his son. "Only if he wants to come."

Eddy's frown deepened slightly and he shook his head. "That English project can wait Edd, go with your family." He knew what that idiot meant by project and it didn't help him feel any better about staying, even now he was getting in his friends way.

"I don't think it can Eddy, you have a way of procrastinating and this grade will affect both of us." Edd's stern gaze didn't leave his heated one and he wanted to jump over the table and shake the guy.

"No, the project can wait Double-D," He tried one more time, through gritted teeth.

Edd's face changed from anger to sadness. "Or we might forget about it, and then our grade will be gone, I want to work on it as much as we can."

Eddy took a quick peak at everyone and they were looking at them both with confused faces. "It'll still be here when you get back idiot," Eddy smiled at him and got one in return. "Go to the lab." It didn't mean he was staying. It meant that he'd be there when he came back that was all, but that was what he needed.

"Ok, then it's decided I'll go with you." The smile he had was genuine and one that Eddy hadn't seen on him in a while.

Eddy went back to eating and the rest of the conversation went by almost like a blur, it was nice seeing Edd so happy to see his parents and see Nazz get embarrassed whenever his mom asked a question that was a little intimate. It wasn't just him though both of his parents asked all of them questions and made all of them blush and it was like being in a real family, one that Eddy didn't know could exist for him.

He loved Double-D's parents like they were his own all of a sudden. He could tell Ed felt the same by how he interacted with them, they didn't care anymore that he was messy and dirty and they didn't care that Eddy was rude and brash. They were like their kids and they were different.

For some reason Eddy's thoughts went to his mom and how she had been treating him lately, as if she were trying to make up for something and he concluded to himself that he would go see her on Tuesday after the job meeting.

After they had eaten and said their goodbyes Eddy walked Kenzie home, she was more quiet than usual, lost in thought. She was biting her lip and Eddy couldn't help but smile.

"You thinking about that kiss?" He asked, she perked up and shook her head, which disappointed him a little.

"I wish, I just don't know why my sister is asking you to come with her, it's weird you know?"

He just shrugged. "It's what all older siblings do, they gotta make sure the person is right." He should have said most siblings seeing as his brother had called Double-D his girlfriend on multiple occasions.

Kenzie shook her head slowly. "That's not like my sister though, she always has some kind of agenda or card up her sleeve, just be careful I guess."

He was happy that she was worrying for him but he didn't think it was needed. "I'll be fine, fingers crossed, she aint gonna steal me away or something, I mean I already have the cuter sister anyway." He didn't know if that was a compliment to her or an insult to her sister but he felt like it was true. It also got him a smile and a kiss so he thought it was the right answer.

They walked in, looking around the house until they found Kate combing her hair and she smiled at them.

"Finally, took you long enough boy toy." He blushed a little at the nickname, had he been wrong about who the cuter sister was…he got a punch on the shoulder for staring too long curtesy of Kenzie.

Kate quickly grabbed his hand and started pulling him out towards the door, he barely got anytime to say goodbye before he was gone with her. They walked by the field and it was quiet by the trees while they walked.

Alone.

He gulped, Kate was actually quite tall, almost the same height as he was and it was a different pace then when he walked with Kenzie.

"So, what'cha wanna tell me on our little date?" Eddy wanted to play it cool, failing miserably when he tripped on a rock.

That's when Kate pushed him roughly against a nearby tree and held his shirt collar with both her hands. "Is this your guy's way of a cruel joke?" She growled, shoving him against the tree again when he tried to say something. "You McGee's are all the fucking same I swear!" She was in his face, her hands were rough and his shirt dug into his skin but even with those distractions he heard the last part clear as day.

She knew his brother.

Shit.

"W-what…?" He couldn't finish the sentence because she slapped him. It was hard and quick and the cold outside made it sting a lot worse.

"Don't play stupid I know your brother Erik, we used to date, that scumbag visit my college a lot. Then he up and left after we broke up and told me he had a surprise for me before he walked away." She was speaking through her teeth and Eddy couldn't help but feel scared at her seething anger. "At first I thought he was kidding before he left, but this must have been it. You are just doing this to get back at me."

She waited for him to answer and he just sighed.

"My brother did this huh? So he can ruin my life even when he isn't here to actually do it in person." He held his hands up and shook his head. "I didn't even know you knew my brother. I haven't seen him since a couple of weeks ago, way after I started dating Kenzie."

He could feel her hands loosen up on his shirt. "I don't like my brother as much as the next guy, I wouldn't do anything for that pigeon." Back in the day he would have defended his brother in a moment like this, now he understood just how horrible he was.

"How am I supposed to believe you?" Her eyes were skeptical, untrusting and that was alright for Eddy. He understood what his brothers' influence did to people.

His brother would always cause trouble for him somehow, and all of a sudden a memory flashed through his head of when he was with his brother and asked about the pictures, of when he was with him in the junkyard, and lastly when he had met him after the scam incident.

He hated his brother like poison.

But he was the only one who could take him away from all of this, from his parents, from the constant strain he put on his friends.

No his brothers.

He was really stupid to think he could leave them like that. Edd had even considered giving up time with his parents to stay with him and he was still thinking about leaving. The option was still there though, he still couldn't decide whether to stay or leave, but his perspective was clearer.

Erik wasn't his brother.

He had two here that would take care of him.

"I can prove it during winter break if you wanna pay him a visit." Eddy smiled.

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><p><strong>Ok! Done with this chapter and off to the next one after about 7 new reviews. Oh, and about the question about how many times you could review I'll say two a person just to be fair seeing as you all found a loophole. :P <strong>

**Oh, and one more thing! So you all are right, I don't read over my stories as thoroughly as I should so I was thinking of getting a Beta. You have to be committed because there will be times where I won't be able to submit a story for a while and I need a quick read over of it! If you are interested just Private message me and I'll get back to you as quickly as possible. **


	19. Stay with me

**I finally finished! I had a lot to go through with my school I'm in college now so I have a lot to do between that and my job and then I might be playing on a team but idk yet so wish me luck for the spring :P I hope this chapter is good enough for the wait. Everyone's reviews and messages has kept me going though!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ed's, but like, if I did I wouldn't tell you.**

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><p><strong>Stay with me<strong>

Eddy snuck through the attic and ruffled through the boxes of hidden presents. Slowly unwrapping them with expert hands and years of mastery. He took the pocket knife out of the back pocket of his pants and cut the tape off of them without making too much noise. Waking his dad at a time like this would be terrible for his health. He knew that he shouldn't be doing this, knew that if he was caught it would mean a certain beating but he was not very patient and whenever his parents did decide to celebrate Christmas it meant that he would get at least something out of it. He lifted the lid of the first present delicately, like there was a bomb inside, he wouldn't really be surprised if there was. Instead all he saw was an ugly sweater from his dad and he almost hurled the thing across the room. His dad knew he didn't like sweaters that jerk!

After some time he unwrapped the second present from his mom and it was a new backpack. Not exactly as bad as he thought it would be, usually she would get him something stupid like socks or underwear but he actually was starting to get tired of his worn and torn backpack. A small inkling of himself wanted to thank her for getting him the present but he realized that it would give away the fact that he snuck in and searched through the packages. Also he didn't want to thank his mother for anything, but she had been so nice to him lately and he didn't understand why. There had to have been some kind of motive, a reason for why she was doing what she was doing but he couldn't think of one. He smiled in spite of himself and wrapped the present back up until it looked like it did before he meddled with it. He was about to turn around and leave when he saw something in the corner of the attic, a golden present that almost gleamed in the barely lit room. Before he knew what he was doing he started crawling towards it as if it were calling to him. Just as he was about to reach for it he heard someone coming up the stars, the low and loud thuds sounded just like his father. They're too loud to be his moms. He panicked for only a split second, not sure of what to do but he was good under pressure. Always quick on his feet and he lunged towards an old mahogany closet and buried himself deep inside the clothes, dust bunnies clouded the small space and he had to hold his nose so he wouldn't sneeze. He had to spit out old feathers and moth balls comically. He left the door just a crack open to see what his farther would be doing in the attic at a time like this.

"Hello?" It's a man's voice, but it isn't slurred enough to be his dads and too deep to be his brothers. Eddy peaks through the crack in the door to see who it is but it's too dark for him to see the man. "Eddy, you little sneak you, where are you hiding?" And then it hit him, no one would be that playful with him unless…

Eddy slowly opened the door. Smiling brightly when he realized who it was. "Long time no see Uncle…" Usually he would be a lot louder with his introduction, but he was too shocked to even try to yell.

"Merry Christmas Eddy, long time no see." And the warm smile is enough for Eddy to know that this will be a good Christmas.

Double-D yawned while he tapped his pencil over the beaker, it was late all right and Christmas was tomorrow but he had to finish this before he went to bed. His parents weren't home and winter break officially started Christmas day but classes had been lax and it had drastically effected his sleeping schedule, to the point where staying up until eleven wasn't even that bad for him. He was also waiting for a text from Eddy, who he had been talking too as much as he could to convince him to stay. As great as his efforts had been Eddy still seemed unsure and it bothered him. He also had to worry about going on his 'vacation' with his parents tomorrow. That was probably why he had begun this science experiment in the first place, to ease his mind and concentrate on things he actually knew about. He was also worried about Nazz's party, seeing as everyone was going to be there he hoped he could make a better impression than last time. He was not going to cry in front of everyone again Jonny and Jimmy had laughed at him about it weeks later and Rolf referred to him as 'water from the eye balls Edd boy' for a month.

He slightly blushed from the memory itself, gulping and shaking his head. He was too busy thinking and spilled another drop of the concoction into the beaker, it started to hiss and crack and he ducked under the desk with a squeak before covering his head with his arms. He heard Ed's voice in his head telling him to duck in cover and almost laughed when nothing happened. So he had been wrong and it hadn't blown up, he was ok with being wrong in a situation like this. He sighed, reaching over to record his notes.

That's when it blew up in his face and he fell back on the ground covered in a bluish foam.

"Blegh!" He wiped at his face and tried to get the taste of failure and foam out of his tongue but it was too late. He almost kicked himself for being right all the time and it made him think of Eddy again. He picked up his phone and saw that there wasn't a message from him yet. "Hm, that's odd." He can feel the foam roll down his face but it doesn't bother him as much as Eddy not responding after about an hour.

"What's odd?" Nazz popped over from the doorway and stopped when she saw her boyfriend sitting on the ground covered in what appeared to be foam. She laughed so hard she had to grab the doorframe. Edd rolled his eyes and eventually joined in, he had looked pretty silly as well.

This Christmas will be different, it has to be because for this Christmas he will actually be genuinely happy.

Ed sniffed the air and smiled to himself. It smelled like pretty flowers and that was his favorite smell besides buttered toast with gravy on the side. Emma was spraying her perfume on herself, he wonders if there was a buttered toast perfume. Ed was sitting on the couch not too far from her, just close enough to smell the sweet perfume that evaporated in the air.

"You ready?" She asked, looking over at him in that innocent way that made him want to smile.

He nodded because he couldn't do much else. "Mhm." Even talking was hard.

She leaned forward and kissed him quickly, his big goofy smile was enough to make her blush.

"Hey come on you two we have to get a move on." Kenzie walked in the living room and pointed to the door. "March! Oh, and by the way Emma we have to go to the mall tomorrow." Apart of her is does this so that Eddy and the other Ed's can have their time alone when Eddy had to make his decision but Emma interjected.

"I wanted to go out with Ed though…" And because Ed didn't know what was going on he looked at Kenzie pleadingly as well, but if there was anything she was good at it was putting her foot down.

"No way, we have to go to the mall, sorry big guy, maybe next time." She gave him a sympathetic smile noticing when Emma opened her mouth, sighed and then looked away. Kenzie didn't know why she would do that so much. Emma had been that way ever since they first met in first grade. A follower, someone who just wasn't strong enough to lead or voice their own opinion and if that was how she was then Kenzie was going to do her best to make sure to lead her to a better life.

But it was still hard, seeing that sad face. She promised to make it up to her at the mall, maybe buy her some shoes if she was really sad. They walked out in silence to Nazz's place, she felt like the bad guy, but she accepted the role. When they arrive they mingle with the other cul-de-sac kids. Kenzie talks to Jonny, who she had always thought to be quite weird.

"How was the test for you Kenzie? Plank thought it was impossible." Jonny asked, motioning to the wood person next to him. It had bushier eyebrows, she wondered who did that, or if it just magically appeared on Planks face. With the things that boy said in contrast to what Plank said she didn't know if he was crazy or actually telling the truth.

She realized she had been staring at plank for too long and decides to answer. "Oh, um it was fine…I didn't think it got hard until the last page."

He shook his head in agreement. "Where's Allen by the way? I thought he was going to come with you." She would notice Allen talking to Jonny sometimes in line while they waited for lunch, it was good that they were becoming friends.

She shrugged, looking around for her best friend and not seeing him. "I don't know, he'll probably be here late as usual." She wanted to be angry but she was so used to it that it wasn't even something she could fret about. If anything the fact that Eddy wasn't there bothered her even more.

She watched Ed drool over the turkey that was on the table and just waited for him to throw himself at the cooked bird and tear into it. Nazz must have had the same thought because she was standing next to her and shaking her head, a hand on her hip.

"I really hope he can contain himself." She rolled her eyes, already knowing that the lovable oaf couldn't do it even if he wanted to.

"He's basically eating it with his eyes already, I wonder if he looks at Emma that way." She laughed at her own joke and Nazz smiled, trying not to laugh too hard.

She was going to add to it but she didn't want to make a perverted joke in front of so many people. "I think she understands that food is a different love of Ed's." She gestured to Emma, who was pulling on Ed's arm to get him away. She wasn't even making him budge of course, the guy could literally carry a dumpster truck without trying.

Nazz turned to her again, changing the topic. "Hey, where's Eddy?" It always seemed like everyone excepted her to know where her boyfriend was, then again she felt like she should too.

"I have no idea…" She looked around for him but couldn't see or hear him, which obviously meant he wasn't there. She would usually worry but lately Eddy seemed to be in a good mood after going out with her sister. She didn't like that she had found a way to make him happy.

Nazz ran over to stop Ed from eating the turkey whole and Kenzie sighed, wondering if this was going to turn into the kind of party where the Kanker sisters intruded, there were a lot of cheerleaders here as well, so she didn't doubt it just yet. She slowly walked towards the door while everyone was wrenching Ed from the table where he had his teeth dug into the wood and was trying to bite his way to the turkey.

"Ed wants food now!" He bit a couple of inches while he spoke.

"N-no Ed you have to compose yourself!" Double-D was sweating and trying his hardest to pull the boy but there was no way he was able to do anything.

She snuck outside, hoping she could pull Eddy from whatever he was doing and come back to see what had happened to that turkey.

Her money was on Ed.

She walked in the cold night air, breathing in and out slowly to get her lungs used to the cold air before she got to Eddy's house. It always scared her how he never let her anywhere near that place, especially since her house was always so open to him. It was almost like he was protecting her from something, but what?

She took inched towards the one step that separated her from the house. It was almost like a small barrier that warned her to back off, like when there was a warning sign to keep burglars away from a house.

She took another step and sighed.

There was no real reason why she should be afraid of the place, Eddy hadn't even said anything about his house and would always pointedly change the subject when it was mentioned. She heard a car behind her pull up to the drive way and started walking towards the house as not to draw suspicion. It was then that she heard a familiar voice yell behind her.

"Don't go in there!" She turned around to see Eddy jumping from a car she hadn't seen before and sprinting towards her, grabbing her arm and yanking her towards him.

She was going to snap back at him but his grasp had been so gentle, it was almost like he was protecting her from some unknown force. Her hand was on his chest and she was looking at him, scanning his scared eyes and cold glance at his house, then a completely warm one at her.

There was something in that house he didn't want her to see, or someone. She didn't know but she needed to ask because if he was so scared to let her in there then why did he go to that place so often. She couldn't remember the last time he called it his home. She was just about to ask but a man she hadn't seen before walked behind him.

"Oh, so this is the girl you were talking about." The smile he has and the tone signifies that he was being positive when he mentioned her.

Eddy smiled and motioned to her like he was proud, and that made her happier than she should have been. "Yup, this is the girl that's lucky enough to say I'm hers." She wants to hit him but she didn't know how the man would react to it. Eddy pointed to the man and smiled. "This is my uncle." He energetically introduced, the man smiled and she could see the resemblance from the smile alone. The toothy grin that still looked more like a smirk then a smile, Eddy's was cockier she noticed.

"Hey, nice to meet you." He reached out and shook her hand, it was weird seeing someone so big compared to Eddy, who only came up to the man's shoulders. He must have been the smallest one in the family. If he let her see his mom and dad she could confirm that.

"Nice to meet you too." She gave him her most polite smile but was a little side swiped, she wasn't expecting to see this man today and wished she was wearing more clothing than a tight t-shirt and ripped jeans. She shivered, remembering the cold.

Eddy picked up on her shiver and smiled at his uncle. "Hey, I'm gonna go to my friends party. You're staying at the hotel right?" The man nodded and Eddy's smile broadened. "Ok, I'll call'ya after and we can talk some more?" It was a question, he wasn't sure what his uncles plans were, he was just so happy to see him that he had totally forgot to ask.

His uncle stretched, pausing and breathing out, watching the vapor settle in the air and disappear. "Ok, I'll be here when you call, I promise."

Eddy's face dropped for a millisecond, long enough for Kenzie to notice and he squeezed her hand for some kind of support, she squeezed back but she didn't think he noticed. "I'll see'ya then. Bye Uncle Axel." It was the first time she had heard his name.

He gave a small wave to her and she gave him an even smaller smile. He hurt him, she knew that man just hurt Eddy in a way that not a lot of people could. The second his car pulled away she turned her full attention on him.

"What's wrong?" She almost barked, he didn't even turn to look at her.

He scratched the back of his head like he did whenever he was nervous, which was rare. "Dunno, it's just whenever he says he promises something he usually doesn't go through with it." He shrugged like it was not a big deal but she knew it was. "He's my favorite person in my family but he's unreliable and I never hear from him." He mostly mumbles that sentence, as if he doesn't know she's there and then he notices her for all her beauty and smiles. "Eh, it doesn't matter though we got'a party to go to!" The old Eddy was back, but what did that mean? Was that really who he was or was it the boy that just opened up to her, even if it was a little?

She was confused and wanted answers that she knew she wasn't going to get.

"You sure you're ok?" She tried one more time, offer him a hand in a dark place that she doesn't really know he's in.

He appreciates it, almost slips up and tells her things that he shouldn't, things he can't. He doesn't know how she'll react, doesn't know what she'll do with the information. "I'm fine, just family drama, everyone has it." He waves off her question with a clammy hand and smiles at her in that way he knows she likes. "I hope I can get some food I'm starving."

She looked like she was going to say something else, her blue eyes searching his for some kind of answer but she sighed and smiled back. "We'll it depends on if Ed ate all the food or not."

Eddy started pulling her and shaking his head. "I swear if he drank all the eggnog I'm going to bury him alive!" He has a smile on his face with that threat but she didn't doubt he wouldn't do it.

They walked in the warm house and quickly shut the door like the cold was some kind of monster. Double-D was the first to see them and he quickly walked over.

"Eddy, I've been worried sick about you. Where have you been?"

Eddy considered lying for a quick second but he pushed that out of his head. "I was with my uncle today, we had a nice day out."

Edd's face changed from one of horror to acceptance when he noticed that Eddy didn't look hurt in the slightest. "Was it…fun?" Kenzie noticed that he looked at her for a quick second before finishing the sentence.

"Ya, it was Uncle Axel so we went and had a blast." Eddy rolled his eyes at how awkward Edd looked.

Edd tried to recollect the man Eddy was talking about. He was at Eddy's birthday party a couple of years ago, was with them for their elementary graduation. "Yes, I remember him now. Also we have to talk to the manager after winter break…if you're still interested." Again with being awkward.

The manager had to enter in their information again after their background reports hadn't come in, at first he was suspicious and then realized it was his fault for doing them wrong. So they would have to wait until after the break when the company was back. Truthfully speaking Eddy hadn't even thought of that job, he had only really done it at first because he wanted some spending money before he left with his brother. Now, if he stayed it would be a commitment.

He stared too long at Edd and nodded slowly when he saw Kenzie look at him from the corner of his eye. She cocked an eyebrow at him and clenched her teeth together, there was something he wasn't telling her. A secret that he was hiding. At first she was ok with it, not knowing certain things about him, but she had thought that by being with him that she would eventually crack that shell.

If anything it had gotten harder to break.

Eddy glanced at her again before smiling like he usually would and gently bumped the frown off of her face. She looked at him and smiled back, because she couldn't be too mad when he looked at her like that. But she wanted to ask, wanted to know why he was doing so much to hide himself from her but not his friends.

"Ya, ya I'll see what's going on then and there, you gotta live in the moment Double-D." He smiled and dismissively waved his hand at his best friend.

Kenzie looked at Double-D, almost pleading him to tell her what was going on but he just looked at her sorrowfully. Maybe she couldn't get through to Eddy, but Edd could help. Unlike her unwilling boyfriend Edd could actually talk about private matters.

"Of course Eddy, because if everyone was as laid back as you were the world would be a better place." He rolled his eyes and tried to hide his smile behind a frown of annoyance.

Eddy smiled, getting ready for the next witty banter when he looked over at Ed who was guzzling the eggnog. "Ed you're an animal!" He quickly ran over to get something to drink before Ed got it all and Double-D scurried before Kenzie could stop him.

Eddy looked back at her before he got to Ed and saw her intense look, it scared him. She was catching on and he didn't want that right now. If he told her about his family, if she knew about them how would she react?

If she called the cops he would be in trouble, if she talked to anyone about it he might get taken away.

But he wasn't even worried about that.

What really scared him was how she would affect Ed and Double-D. She could convince them to help Eddy by letting him go. She was convincing and she could definitely change their minds, what they were doing for him was probably the best thing for him but from an outsiders point of view it would seem like they were ok with him being hurt.

Kenzie was an outsider to the problem at hand. Someone who could view this in a non-bias way because she was his girlfriend and she did care about him but she didn't love him like Ed and Double-D did. She could see past her feelings and see the bigger picture, and that picture was ugly. It was filled with scars and tears and holding back feelings of frustration and anger. Maybe one day he could tell her how hard his life was, but today was not that day and he would just have to make her wait.

If she was willing. If she wasn't he would be out of a girlfriend and that would hurt him in a way that he hadn't ever been hurt in. Probably worse than what his parents could do because this was an emotional pain that was still raw and untouched by the outside world, as of right now that place was warm and comforted by Kenzie. He would have to tell her that later.

"If you want some Eddy you can have a little." Ed took the bowel he was drinking from and poured it in Eddy's mouth, he gagged and coughed as he tried to swallow it all and fell on his butt before Ed could drown him in his favorite drink.

"Ack...Ed…you better…start running!" Eddy wiped at his mouth and slowly rose, his playful glare showing through his smile. He wasn't as mad as he usually would have been, he had way more things to worry about and this was a nice distraction from them.

Ed thought they were playing a game of tag and it ended up being a chase around the house and Ed almost breaking several things in Nazz's house. Double-D was just able to save a vase when Nazz grabbed Ed's ear and stopped Eddy with a hand.

"This happens almost every time, how is it that you always find a different excuse to chase Ed around my house." By now she sounded exasperated and a little annoyed, but this was nothing new.

Ed blinked innocently a couple of times before he decided to answer. "It's cause he likes playing tag so much!"

"Oh I'll show you a game of tag…umf!" It was Edd's turn to quiet his louder brother by putting his hand on his mouth. That is until he licked his fingers and he shivered away from the contact.

"Uck! Real mature Eddy." He shook his hand franticly while Eddy stuck his tongue out at him.

"Oh Ed'boy's still the same tomfoolery as always." Rolf smiled in a knowing and fond way as he walked towards them.

Double-D looked over at him and smiled as well. "You know it Rolf."

Jonny popped up behind Eddy and pocked him in the head, making him flinch to the side. "You silly goofs, always causing trouble!"

Eddy almost smiled at the annoying gestured but decided to stay in character and glare at him. "I aint causing trouble for nobody!"

Edd shuddered at the double negative and Jonny just laughed at him as he kept trying to poke him in the head again. Ed went for his sister and Jimmy instead, choosing to grab them and fly around the room making airplane sounds. There was laughter in the house instead of threats and Nazz smiled at the happy vibe that emit from the room. The cul-de-sac was back. At least most of it.

The party ended with everyone leaving in a good mood. It had been a while since Nazz had been at a party that wasn't filled with so much drama and drunk people, since befriending some of the cheerleader's life had gotten a little different and also filled with a lot more sightings of Kevin and his gang.

She missed him in a sense. Or just the old times.

She slowly reached over and held Double-D's hand, giving it a light squeeze. He looked at her and squeezed back, gently of course. He gave her a smile that was warm enough to make her smile back. She hoped that apathy for Kevin would soon disappear, she really hoped that missing the old times would evaporate in the sweet time of the now. She had Edd now, and that was all that was important. No matter what the other cheerleaders whispered behind her back.

Eddy walked out of the house with Kenzie, his gut tightening to the point that he thought he might be able to fake that he was sick. Usually he could think of a lie quick enough to give him confidence but he was afraid of what would happen if she saw through it, they had been dating for a while now and she was starting to pick up on his lies. This one could end them as a couple and he knew that.

This walk would be different. There was listless chatter that meant nothing to either to them and they both knew it. When they got to the field she finally stopped and stared at him, leaning on a tree and clenching her fists.

"Eddy…stop." Her voice was low, not threatening but just emotionless and the ping of fear returned, rushing through his chest.

He turned around with a straight face, they both knew what was going to happen. "What's up?"

She shook her head quickly and tightened her fists. "Just stop, stop lying, stop brushing off my questions and tell me the truth already." She raised her eye brow, still not sounding angry. The wind blew, catching her hair and pushing it to the side, her blue eyes almost illuminated by the moon. How could he lie to someone as beautiful as that?

"You're really pretty…" He whispered, but just loud enough for her to hear it and frown. He slapped himself on the head. "W-wait I didn't mean to say that…um…"

She pushed herself off of the tree, crossing her arms. "You think you're just gonna compliment me and brush this conversation off too?"

Eddy frantically rubbed his blank head, usually he would be able to just think of a lie but he couldn't! He needed to but his mind was just coming up empty. He tried multiple times to say something but he was only able to make 'ah, ums' and obviously frustrate her further. He finally knew what Edd felt like when it came to his stammer. She looked like she was going to walk away but he finally put his hand up in defeat.

"Time!" The word was finally able to escape his lips just as she turned around.

His urgency stopped her and the word choice helped in her hesitation. Time, there were a lot of things that Eddy was, most negative and impatient was one of them. For him to ask for time meant that he was willing to at least try, and he didn't try new things all that much. He wanted to try, maybe so he could keep his secret a little longer.

Or maybe for her.

"Time for what?" She knew, and he knew that. She just needed to hear it.

He growled and shook his head in annoyance but didn't dare snap at her. "Just give me some more time before I tell'ya…I just can't yet…" He looked tired, almost scared.

She didn't understand what would frighten him so much. She knew that he was hiding something big but what if this was worse than even she could think of? She wished she would have paid attention more to the little things that she was sure would give him away. Instead she nodded solemnly and said nothing. He reached out and grabbed her hand smiling in a way she had only seen when he talked with Ed and Double-D.

"You're helping."

Nothing could have helped more than that.

When Eddy got back home he saw a note from his uncle, of course it was one telling him that he had left. Probably not coming back, he wished he didn't feel as sad as he did but he couldn't deny the feeling. That is, until he saw the last sentence of the note.

_'Hey, I left the car for a reason. The damn things dying anyways, fix it up or use the parts if you want. Merry Christmas kiddo.'_

He smiled in spite of his sadness. He could hear someone behind him, he knew it was his mom by the sound of the footsteps and a box pushed up against his leg. It was the gold present he wasn't able to get to before.

"Axel told me that you were looking for this one." Her voice sounded like it did back in the old days, when his dad was sane and she was happy.

He picked it up and looked at her as she started to walk away.

"Thank you…" The words made her stop, and he saw her shoulders slump in what he assumed was a flood of emotions. She didn't say anything and left.

He opened the present slowly just as he heard Ed and Double-D yelling for him as they walked up towards him from the party.

The present was enough.

"Hey Eddy, why're you looking so sad!?" Ed was running towards him and Double-D right behind him.

He reached into the box and pulled out the wallet, a black leather one that had his name printed on it in gold letters. Inside there was fifty bucks and even a pocket for some quarters. That wasn't it though, inside there was a small gumball machine, one of Eddy's first ever fake scams that he tried to pull on his parents when he was younger, when things were better.

She had actually kept it.

"Eddy are you ok?" Double-D stopped at the stairs, he didn't want to intrude on something.

Eddy smiled and nodded. "I want to stay here guys, I really want to stay." He closed his eyes tight so that he wouldn't cry and his brothers walked over to give him a hug as he wept quietly.

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><p><strong>Thank you all for reviewing <strong>** It's the best to read over them and see what I can change so keep them up! If you want me to start responding to them btw just ask me too and or ask me to start doing it more often. **

**THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE SERIOUSLY. I know it's taken me a long time to update my stories but trust me when I say this I won't give up on these. They're still sophomores and I have sooo much more to write about with them.**


	20. The math

**I haven't had a deep chapter for a while so this one should help. Its subtle so look for those small things other than that this chapter is literally just them living through the day haha sorry if it's boring but I feel like this is an important chapter **** It's my 20'th one I wanted to do it up!**

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><p><strong>The math<strong>

Edd tapped his finger against his thigh in a frequent rhythm that distracted him from the nervousness that had almost made him pass out before in the bathroom, Eddy was quick to slap some sense into him before he went back to hyperventilating. He would be gone for about two weeks during winter break with his parents in New Cork City, it was just so much to get over, so much to get ready for. Of course he had packed a week ago and was basically ready to go way before his parents picked him and his brothers up but he still was nervous for what he would do with them. What if they didn't like the way he was turning out in high school? His mom was already judging him secretly for having a girlfriend. Then again she had some time to warm up to Nazz after knowing of her for so long. There wasn't many things that could go wrong on this plane ride, it really wasn't the conversation with his parents that scared him but what would happen while he was gone. As weird as it sounded to him he had never left his friends for more than a couple of days, not seeing them for two weeks would be…weird.

"Wow, they didn't even delay the flight, all the movies are wrong." Eddy complained, even though he would have been angrier if they did, or maybe not. "There's always a delayed plane in the movies…" He sounds a little disappointed.

It's new, everything that's about to happen is new and Eddy doesn't like new things. He's a creature of habit and Edd is leaving for two weeks and he'll be stuck in his house or the clubhouse for those days. He doesn't want to be with his parents at all, his dad has been drinking just a drop more lately, and that's all the difference. He didn't doubt that his mom would help him, but there were times before, when he first started drinking that she had helped, now that he thought about it those times were worse.

"There was a time in 'space glorg the face eater' that the plane was delayed because the monster was eating the arm of the pilot." Ed states simply, like that little tid-bit of information was natural.

Double-D blinked a couple of moments before he was forced to ask. "One moment, the monster is a face eater, why was he eating the pilots arm?"

Eddy slaps himself on the head, because of course that's what Double-D noticed.

Edd waves his hand and his eyes light up. "Ok so, the monster didn't know what it was until it got a taste of its first face, that's where the pilot comes in and…"

"Hold your horses Ed!" Eddy interrupts, still rubbing his hand against his head until he knows there will be a red mark. "I think we need'ta focus on Edd leavin' soon."

That's when it seemed to hit Ed, his eyes widened and he pounced on Double-D quicker than he had in a long time. Hugging him and crying all at the same painful time, this was like missing his favorite TV show for two weeks! But so much worse now that it was his bestest buddy.

"I-im gonna miss you Double-D, don't goooo!" Even though he had plenty of time to get over this moment he still wept as if he had just found out.

Double-D threw all his soothing methods at Ed in that moment, knowing that he was genuinely sad. He rubbed his fuzzy hair and smiled at him. "It will be ok Ed, I'll message and talk to you both every day and I'll make sure that you guys don't do anything bad." He eyed Eddy playfully.

Eddy didn't return the look, but instead stared at him intensely, as if he were trying to read the situation. Or trying to hold something back. When he realized he was being stared at he snapped out of his stupor and nodded at him, not saying anything.

"Eddy?" Even though Ed was still having a crying tiff the words could be heard over the bawling.

He smiled back at him again and shook his head. "We'll I was going to go to a party or two, we'll be here when you get back." The words were assuring and believable even for Eddy and that was all that Edd needed to hear.

He extended his arm and Eddy rolled his eyes, squeezing himself between the two of his brothers. The hug was weird in a sense, like they had just gotten over something traumatic. Maybe they had but Eddy didn't see it that way, just a bump in the road.

He knew more would come.

He squeezed Edd's arm in a comforting way that he hoped moved him. "We'll be fine over here for'ya."

The weird woman that always seemed to have a robotic voice called Edd's plane and he had to let go before his mother freaked out for being a second too late. "I'll call you both the second I get over there." He called behind his shoulder as he pulled his bag with him, breathing a little heavier than he knew he should.

"Don't worry Edd take your time!" Eddy called, he was patting a crying Ed's head.

"I'm g-gonna m-m-miss you Double-D!" Ed was practically crying a river.

"I'll miss you both as well! I promise I'll keep in touch as much as I can!" Several people turned around and wimpered as if what they were watching were friends saying goodbye for the last time, what they didn't know is they would see each other soon. They would have been able to pick that up if they saw Eddy rolling his eyes.

This was it.

Edd sat down in an unusually comfortable seat in first class with his dad next to him and his mother sitting in-front of him. It was always weird to think of how rich he actually was seeing as his parents always made sure he never grew up in the lap of luxury but after all the time they had worked he could do the math (and had done it several times by now just for fun) and knew that his parents had probably been able to work up a small fortune. He hadn't spent time with his parents enough for them to buy him things but from the state of the art telescopes and science equipment he could have guessed. His dad looked him over and pointed to his head.

"Your hair is getting a little frizzy, we should take you to a barber." Double-D quickly pat down his hair and looked up at his dad in a small panic, he had thought he combed it. He stammered something but his dad squeezed his nose quickly, letting him know he had played a little prank on him and they laughed whole heartedly. It always entertained him how his dad would use those little children pranks to make them laugh, it was almost like he still thought Edd was still a kid that could be seriously….entertained by it….He continued to laugh anyways.

"I do like your hair, I'm glad you were able to display it finally." He smiled, rubbing his hair back to the uncombed way that Nazz always said was attractive.

"You make my hair sound as if it were a painting." Edd talked over the instructions that the woman was showing for the other patrons.

His mother quickly shushed him and he turned back to the woman in front of the seats. He had forgotten how snippy his mother would get on planes, probably because she was always so afraid of the worst happening. She was always so protective of him so it made sense that she wanted him to know what to happen just in case the worst were to come.

When she was done talking the plane began to move, he watched outside as the plane continued to move slowly for some reason that was when his heart began to hurt the most. He was seeing the only place he had called home slowly roll past him, he sighed when the plane took off. His dad noticed it, carefully placing his hand on his sons shoulder and trying his best to smile at him.

That's what was so weird about all of this. It wasn't like his parents were strangers to him but the things they did were still somewhat foreign to him. They didn't spend much time together so now that they were with each other they would have to get used to the many quirks of the other. Edd noticed that his dad's smile was in a way hard for him to do, mostly because he always looked so stoic but in a way the smile was fatherly and comforting to someone like Edd. He also noticed how his dad's touch made him gulp just because it was so different, his dad would occasionally from time to time pat him on the head or touch his shoulder when he was helping him with an assignment (which were both rare) but this much touching was very…unique to him. If it wasn't for the fact that he was friends with Ed and Eddy he might even shy away from the contact.

His mother turned around in the seat, her computer was in-front of her and she smiled at Edd. Her smile was more comforting seeing as she wasn't as stoic as his father but it was still so weird, he had seen that smile more so today than he had in the last couple of months.

"So, Eddward when we arrive at New Cork city be sure to get your bags quickly." He wasn't surprised to hear his mother talking business right at the beginning of the flight, it was how she operated. "We will have to leave the airport quickly if we are to make it to the facility on time."

"True, we'll have approximately…" His dad checked his watch, it looked pretty expensive but Edd guessed that was because it was important to his father, they never checked their phones for the time they were more old school. "Three hours to get from the airport to our destination."

"Don't forget to schedule eating in between our ride from the airport."

"Ah, silly me how could I have forgotten that. Thank you for reminding me. Maybe we could eat at a restaurant, seeing as you said you were tired of fast food just last week, and I don't want to skip it, starvation isn't in the plan."

As their, conversation went on, or was it playful banter? He realized how much his parents actually interacted. When they were at home they were usually buried in their work with the occasional nod or point directed at each other in a form of communication. This whole plane trip he had just been studying their mannerisms to see how he could fit in to them, how he could be a better son for them. He wanted this trip to be perfect. He would have to study them a little more if he wanted to do that though, it sounded weird, him studying his parents but he guessed that getting to know them would have to be pretty logical seeing as they were very logical beings. They had emotions, ones that he hadn't known about in the past, they just showed them in very subtle ways. He wanted to be himself with them of course, but it was hard to know if they would accept that side of him, he wasn't so much scared of them, but how they would react to their son being so…expressive. He wanted to be more for them, wanted to be the prodigal son that could be whatever they wanted of him.

He just wanted them to love him so much that they would stay.

Because when it all came down to it all he wanted was to have dinner with them every day, talk about his problems with someone other than his friends who were great but just weren't his parents they couldn't tuck him in like his parents used to, they couldn't kiss him and rub his head telling him that everything was alright. Parents were just different than siblings.

His mother and father went back to work, and he sat still like a good son. So many questions he wanted to ask them, how was work going, had they missed him, and what would they be doing in New Cork City? He didn't want to distract them from their work but he also wanted to speak with them, it had been so long and they treated this trip more like a gathering that happened every week.

"Eddward, do you want to see some of these experiments we're holding at the compound?" His mother turned around fondly and basically smirked at him.

He lit up quickly, looking over at the computer and automatically understanding the letters on it as elements for science components. He looked through the file that his mother was working on and pointed to one of them.

"So, what you're doing is trying to see how this compound effects the nerve system?" His face was no longer in a smile, but a concentrated stare.

His mother's smile did not leave her face though. "Exactly, but we can't experiment with our hypothesis until we try it out at the lab."

"Hmmm, interesting, what if you added another paralyzing agent to the nerve system to dull the pain." He put his hand up before his mother could say anything. "Without causing loss of mobility, maybe another opioid that's not morphine, there's already enough of that in this." He waved his hand at the project, smiling at his mother.

She nodded and he could hear his dad chuckle behind him. "Exactly what we were thinking son, except it took us a little longer."

He shrugged. "You basically just laid it all out in front of me after that is the easy part you both did all the heavy lifting." He didn't think they heard him because they were looking at each other.

"I think he's ready." Edd didn't like the way his mother said that, and he hated the fact that he didn't enjoy his mother's tone.

His father's hand found his shoulder again and he couldn't help but shiver slightly. "Son, we actually wanted to ask you something."

His head couldn't have turned slow enough. "Y…yes father?"

"We were thinking that you should go to school in New Cork City, we're thinking about building our business there and we would like you to be close." And it was everything he could have ever wanted. Except it was in the wrong place, and the wrong time. Everything he had told Eddy was switched on him and he all of a sudden had a decision to make.

He froze, staring at his dad.

"Ed, ya know what we need to do?" Eddy was sitting with Ed, it was a cold day and both of them had their coats on looking off at the old field, as of right now Sarah and Jimmy were playing on it.

Ed threw a Frisbee, Jimmy tried to catch it but missed and it hit his face, he sat down and Sarah ran to his side. "What do'ya think Eddy beddy?"

Eddy ignored the bad rhyme and tapped his hand on the bench. "We need to try and fix up the truck, I mean now all we have to do is do our driving test and we can use it." He imagined flashing his perfect license around with that great smirk that Kenzie couldn't even deny. "My uncle gave me the parts to fix it up, we'll have that baby on the road in no time with my brain and your…know how? We can be driving by next week!"

"We could go get ice cream Eddy!" Ed shook his hands in the air just thinking about the cold desert that they could get whenever they wanted.

"Hey Eddy, when's Double-D coming back?" Sarah came running over when they got up from the bench, she looked hopeful in a way only Eddy was able to read. Or was willing to read, Jimmy just puffed up.

"Double-D will be back in a flash!" Ed chimed in. "In two weeks I think." He snapped his fingers, almost making the rhyme he wanted.

Sarah lit up. "Ok! I can't wait'till he's back we're supposed to do winter breaks homework."

"I could help you with them Sarah!" Jimmy popped up from behind her, way too quickly.

She waved him off without a word, which broke his heart in a new kind of way. She didn't even try to yell at him anymore.

"Yup..." Eddy was seeing where this was going and decided not to be a part of it. "We gotta go though, see'ya around kiddos." He went off towards the cul-de-sac, while Ed followed dutifully.

They got to the car and Eddy stared at it like he could will it to the junkyard. "Well…Ed this is where I'll need your expertise."

Ed clapped his hands quickly like he was having fun and Eddy jumped in the car, pulling the stick to the neutral position.

"Ready Eddy!" He enjoyed that rhyme and planted his feet on the ground, pushing way too quickly.

Eddy's smile dropped, he should have put more weight on it, he had totally forgotten how strong Ed was.

Big mistake because the biggest of the Ed's sped off with the car while Eddy held the wheel and steered them around the cul-de-sac, barreling past Nazz's house, just missing her garden.

"Ed! You idiot!" Eddy yelled out, but he couldn't help but smile just a little. He took another turn and missed another mailbox, it was Kevin's so maybe he could have done that. He was tempted to turn around but the junkyard was coming up.

"Ok Ed put some gas on it!" Eddy could feel the speed increase as the car flew past the junkyard sign, he whooped and hollered, this was the first dangerous excitement he had since back in the day with the scams they would commit.

He took a sharp turn past a pile of garbage, they were close to the truck now. They were closing in on it quickly and Eddy hit the breaks, again forgetting how strong Ed was.

"Slow down!" He screamed behind him, Ed shoved his feet in the ground but it was a little slippery and he dragged along with the car. "I said fix the truck not drive another one into it!" He turned it just in time, the side of the car that he was on was just a few feet away from the truck, Ed leaned forward and moved the car just a little bit away from the back of the truck.

"W…wow, that was so cool!" Ed screamed from the back, he hit the back of the car excitedly, it looked like he missed those exciting times just like Eddy had.

"Ya…"Eddy held the steering wheel for a little longer, rubbing his sweaty hands on his pant legs. The familiar feel of his pants was very nice compared to the leather wheel that he had clutched so tightly. "We should try that again one of these days."

Ed didn't oblige, he instead looked from the car he was leaning on to the truck. "So how are we gonna fix the truck with this car?"

Eddy stepped out and scratched his head. "I don't know, my brother used to be a wiz at fixin' cars, I just thought it would run in the family."

"If your brother could do it and you could do it that means I could do it too!" Ed jacked a thumb at himself imitating Eddy.

"Ya think so?" Eddy gave him a side smile and continued to look at the car. He had watched his uncle and dad build cars hundreds of times when he was younger, and they had taught him just a little, but not enough for him to be able to fix this.

"Well if it isn't Eddy, and his big tough guy Ed." He turned around and was face to face with Lee Kanker, he yelled and fell on his butt that moment reminded him way too much of the past.

"You can't scare a guy like that Lee!" He snapped trying to look cooler by standing up quickly.

She ignored him and her gaze shifted to the vehicles. "Looky here, you trying to fix these cars up?" Her filed nail pointed to them and Ed shook his head.

"We're trying to move these thingymojigers," He lifted the car's hood and pointed to the parts. "To this thingymahoozit." Then he pointed to the truck with his foot.

Eddy could tell Lee was thinking about something and didn't say anything for a while. "Some of those parts might not fit in with that truck, then again the engine just might work if you do it right."

Eddy slid his hand through his hair, already tired of all the car talk. "I don't know how to do that though…" It was hard for him to admit that and even he noticed his volume drop.

Lee wrapped her arm around his shoulders, more in a mentoring way than a loving way…he hoped. "That's where I come in, with a little bit of elbow grease we'll have this thing purring in no time." He expected to hear at a cost but she didn't and instead started walking towards her trailer. "We got some parts at home, help me bring'em here and I'll help you work on that sweet ride of yours." She motioned to the truck with a little bit of a smirk.

Eddy couldn't understand why she was doing this so of course he asked.

She just shrugged without looking at him. "It's what friends do…" He didn't like the way she said friends, it sounded hurt, lacking in a sense.

Ed followed her and he started walking with his hands in his pockets, hoping that he wouldn't have to see the other Kanker sisters. Sure they had helped them by getting them back to school but who's to say they didn't hurt them in a whole new way by getting girlfriends.

He wondered how Kenzie would feel about him fixing a car with Lee, it's not like she didn't know about her. They would text each other every now and again, Lee had taken this whole friendship thing a lot better than Marie who had apparently stopped talking to Edd altogether. Lee was somehow important to Eddy, she understood him a little better than anyone else in the cul-de-sac, she knew how it was to have a father that…wasn't all that good. She knew how hard life was when a mother wasn't around, he never asked them about their parents he expected they would tell him in time.

And if they didn't that was ok, it wasn't like he was all open with his home life.

They entered the trailer and Eddy noticed that there were less bottles on the ground, and the smell wasn't as harsh. He was guessing that their dad must have drank because there were still bottles in the trash. How had he missed those from before? He must have been in the house a couple of times in the past, but then again he never looked for that stuff.

"Marie and May must be in our room, it's fine the tools are in the kitchen anyway." She spoke slowly, she must have been thinking of something. The boys sat on the couch because it was the most familiar thing. The T.V. hadn't changed at all, Eddy was impressed the thing still worked but if Ed's was able to survive for that long then the Kankers could too.

While she tinkered in the kitchen Ed looked over the outdated T.V. guides. He seemed to enjoy that stuff so much that even if it was old and he knew about it he could read about it. Eddy went back to surveying the room but didn't say anything while Lee cussed about there being too much stuff lying around. He smiled at that.

"Finally found'em, now we need to go in the back and get some parts for that car, Ed I'll need you for this one."

Eddy looked up from the couch, obviously offended. "Hey! I can life the big stuff to ya'know!"

"Yup, such a strong guy." He couldn't see her eyes but he knew that she was rolling them and he growled.

Ed pat his head and he felt like a kid again. "I'll be back in a flash Eddy!"

He huffed, sitting down with his arms crossed, he didn't care how immature he looked he could lift stuff too!

After they had been outside for a little while he heard someone coming down from the stairs, he immediately looked from one door to the other as he tried to escape but it was too late the person was already halfway down the stairs and could see him on the couch.

"Eddy?" It was Marie for sure.

He looked up with an awkward smile. "Hey." Was all he could blurt out.

She looked a little meek, smaller than before the way she hunched over like she didn't want to be seen. "Hey." She greeted back, walking straight past him and to the kitchen. "So what brings you over to these parts?" She asked over her shoulder as she extended to reach something on the top covert. She looked like she was having some trouble, comically balancing herself on one foot to reach.

Eddy got up and carefully walked over to her, making sure that his footsteps were loud enough for her to hear he was coming. She moved out of the way and he got the paper place and the holder for her. She thanked him with a little nod. "I'm here with your sister and Ed to get some parts for this car we're building up, the old truck you know about it."

She snorted in amusement. "Why would you want to fix up that hunk of junk?"

It occurred to him that he really didn't have to fix that car up all of a sudden but the truck meant a lot to him and his brothers. It had gotten them through the best of days and the worst of nights. It was a place he would go to when he couldn't go to their houses, he would cuddle up on the disgusting rug and nuzzle himself in his covers. "It looks cool." He shrugged and settled with that answer, he didn't want to get too emotional over a truck.

She nodded, accepting it, her hair had gotten longer he noticed as she blew a strand out of her face. "Well if there's anyone that knows about cars its Lee, she's obsessed with them."

That actually surprised Eddy, he had no idea she had liked cars so much, sure there was the occasional poster or t-shirt she would show around but he never expected her to be obsessed with them. Maybe she could do it as a job, that idea made his stomach sink. The future, that was a scary thought because he had no idea what would happen to him from here on out. What did he want to be, what did he want to do with his life?

He loved money, but then again every job earned you that, he needed a job that specifically was to just earn money. Or jawbreakers? Nah he liked the delicious taste of the orbs but he didn't love it. He would have to find something like Ed did, something he could do over and over again and not get bored in the slightest of it, but that was a ways away, he would worry about it next year.

He went back to the couch like it was his haven. "Yeah, I hope so because when it breaks down I want to blame someone else but me for it." He laughed and so did she, a soft chuckle.

She sounded sad.

"She'll kill you before she lets you say she messed up on a car." Marie warned, pointing a butter knife at him from the kitchen. "Hell, I'd kill you just to save you from the torture."

His eyes widened and he smiled. "Remind me never come to you guys with a problem again, all three of ya will kill me."

She snorted, neither denying nor agreeing with his statement, he guessed it was the ladder though. "So…" he knew what she was going to ask, but it didn't stop him chest from tightening. "How's Edd." He noticed how she stopped calling him Double-D.

He didn't know how to answer that question and just looked at his feet. How bad had they hurt him. "Really good…" He wished he could lie and say he was doing bad, but as far as he knew he was fine.

He couldn't have been farther from the truth.

Double-D was driving with his parents as they talked about the new high school, the university that was located in new cork city that would be perfect for him. He wished he could disappear, leave and never come back.

He missed home.

He hadn't answered them, tried to take the Eddy approach and delay it by changing the subject back to their job. It had worked for a little but now they were back on it, asking him how he felt about it. He knew if he said no it would destroy them, seeing as they were just looking out for him, they would say they just wanted the best future for him. Even though he never saw them he knew that's what they would say, because he knew that's what it was, a chance. What scared him so much was even if he said no to the high school the university was always an option.

He was a sophomore already thinking about college. Leave it to him to think about the future, that's something that Eddy would laugh about if he were here.

His mother said something else about how they had the best technology for science majors and he was thrown back into the scared mentality of the plane. If he said yes he would lose his friends, everything that he had ever known, but if he said no he would never get that quality time with his parents that he had craved his entire life. When Eddy had decided to leave it was more of the lesser of two evils, here it was the better of two goods.

He just wanted them to love him. He just wanted them to stay. He just wanted to be with his friends again. He wanted to be strong enough, decisive enough.

"Mother, Father, why not build your company in Peach creek?" He asked looking from one parent to the other. "That way I can still see my friends and also see you as well." There he was, throwing himself out there, his feelings being shown for the first time.

His father raised an eyebrow at him. "Surely you don't mean move a large scale company to such a small suburban area, I don't think it's ready to become such a large city just yet."

"You can make new friends over here Eddward." His mother waved her hand in the air, not in a rigid way but in a calming way that he wished made it sound better. "No, New Cork City is the place." He looked outside at the bright possibilities that ate away at Edd's intentions.

"But I don't really want to leave Peach Creek, that's my home." Edd scratched his head, his heart was racing, everything was hurting he wanted to cry.

"We thought…" His mother started, pursing her lips. "That we could make a new home here."

"I like it at Peach Creek though, the school it nice and you could always build in the city that's close by…"

His father interrupted him, his eyebrow still raised and his face looking a bit older. "The city is quite new, a lot of different universities are being built there, stores as well, even businesses but it's too new. Our business has been around a long time and that city is too new to house such a historic business. What we need is a place that's ready for us."

"I think that Peach Creek is more than ready for your business if you just gave it a chance…"

"We've done the math son, the city over there is too new, we don't really know what will happen if we move it over there, better to go with what we know." His mom interrupted him this time and he got angrier.

It swelled inside him, years of pent up rage and seething anger it swirled in him like fire and spread it burned his self-consciousness, his faltering nature. It made him grit his teeth and clutch his hands into fists. "I did the math!" He screamed, pointing to himself, his parents jolted in absolute shock, his mothers face became paler and his father just stared at him in shock. "Ever since I've been in peach creek I've done the math! But you were never around, never with me to see that!" He pointed to them with a shaking hand, there were no tears, this was just his wrath. "I needed you and now you have the opportunity to actually see me again and you aren't taking it?!" He shook his head, he was getting a headache it pounded against him skull, words that he should have said all those years ago pounded and rushed through him even to his fingertips. "I NEEDED YOU!" He screamed again.

And the car was silent the only noise was the outside world, the ever changing world.

And a boy that hadn't changed enough.

A boy who had done the math that one happy son plus two loving parents equaled a good family.

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><p><strong>DONE DONE! Wow this one didn't take me so long, writers block and all I'll be working on my other stories now seeing as I've updated for this one a lot.<strong>

**Thanks for the reviews by the way I'll work harder. **


	21. Home

**Next please! Haha done with this chapter too **** ok these last two have been low key but the next one will be a little more action packed.**

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><p><strong>Home's where the hearts engraved<strong>

The thing that Edd hated the most when his parents were gone was the silence. The void of noise that picked him apart little by little, reminding him that he was alone, always there to stop any positive motion he seemed to build. Eddy and Ed had been an escape from it, they saved him from the bitter loneliness and long nights of tossing and turning. It had gotten to the point that the silence was something of a nuisance to him, or maybe a fear. He feared being alone again, feared being the outcast and left to fend for himself in a house that was never meant for one person. After sometime he found himself indulged in the different activities that the outside world provided but once he entered that house, once he crossed the threshold of his door he was reminded of the loneliness. He wanted his parents to be there, to break whatever curse had been cast on the house but they never came, he had decided to one day bring them there, to force them to return so there would be no more relenting silence.

But here it was all over again, after his outburst the car was silent and he couldn't help but shake from both the rage and silence that threatened to devour him. He wanted them to say something, to do something that would break the silence but they didn't, they just stared wordlessly at him, the car was on the side of the road.

He needed them.

Needed.

Past tense because he had found solace in his friends but he was starting to feel like that wasn't enough. He waited for what seemed like hours before his dad cleared his throat, basically bursting the quiet car and making Edd's ears ring. His head hurt more than he could ever have imagined, still words from a broken childhood spun like angry wasps in his mind, stinging and poisoning whatever memory he had of being alone and turning it just that much worse.

"Eddward, I didn't know that our absence affected you that much." He was staring at him now, the angry shaking boy that he was.

Edd shook his head and rubbed his temple, even the slightest movements made the car spin. "No, but I didn't expect you to." His whole life he had hid that secret from them, he had wanted them home for so long but he didn't want to get in their way, like he was now. "I'm sorry for yelling, I-I didn't mean for it to come out like that." The car was still spinning and he didn't know why, was he sick?

His mom unfastened her seatbelt and reached out to him, she looked worried, almost frantic. "You look pale, are you ok?"

He took deep breaths tried to get better, when his mother's hand made contact with his head he could feel her cool touch sooth his heated mind. Too much was going through, too much was coming out all at once and it hurt him. It was as if he was fighting against himself, an angrier part of him that he'd repressed for all these years. It wanted out, it wanted to scream and yell and kick but he didn't allow it, not now. "I'm fine, sorry for worrying you both." He was telling the truth his mother's touch helped him, the car wasn't spinning as fast and he could start breathing again. "Please continue driving, we have to eat and I don't want to eat too quickly to see the compound." He didn't want to brush it aside, but this wasn't the place or time for the discussion.

He wanted to say more, but it would have to wait just a little longer.

He needed them.

The car started back up and his mother looked at him like he was an animal ready to bite. He felt like one, caged in the house for years and years, finally free to bite the hand that was never there to feed it.

Eddy spit out what he assumed was a mouthful of motor oil at this point, they had been working on the truck nonstop. Eddy had learned two things about it by now, one that it was even more broken than he had initially thought, and two that Lee was very car savvy. She would yell directions to them that they had no idea about, she would use car part words that neither of them had ever heard in their entire life and Eddy had worked with cars before, even if it were a little. He wanted to do more but when push came to shove Lee did most the work, Eddy and Ed just helped her with things, especially after Eddy spilled the oil out from under the car.

"You're lucky this part needs to go or you would have had to find yourself a better one." Lee called from under the car, her legs comically under it like it had landed on her. Ed had already made that joke but it still made him laugh.

Even though he didn't look it he was actually relieved, he didn't want to feel guilty for ruining Lee's work. "I just wanted to make more work for'ya." He smiled, they had been talking more and he found Lee to be quite funny. She understood him in a different way than Ed and Double-D. She lead her sisters and kept them in line just like he did with his brothers and that in itself was hard enough work let alone having a bad home life as well.

They worked until the sun was setting and Eddy had to force her to leave. "Ok, we can work on it tomorrow but we should go before it gets dark. Last I checked you aren't a cat working in the dark can be pretty dangerous." He didn't want to be the bearer of bad news, and Lee looked at him like that but he was getting tired, and desperately needed a shower.

His house, he would need to take a shower over there and his dad would definitely be up. He cursed himself for being too focused on the car and sighed.

"Ok ok, but you better promise to come back tomorrow to help me." She had a black stain on her cheek and her clothes were filthy but she looked…natural. Like she was supposed to always look like that.

Eddy rubbed the back of his head, trying not to sound mean from his bad mood. "We'll be back tomorrow, we didn't do much though…" He ducked his head and mumbled a thanks.

She put her hand to her ear with a sly smile. "Sorry what was that buttercup?"

He groaned, knowing this was going to come. "I said thank you!" He snapped tersely. If there was one thing he hated more than birds it was thanks.

She clapped him on the shoulder hard enough for him to lose his breath. "Ya, I got you short stuff, I'll see you tomorrow." She waved with her fingers in a flirtatious way that made Eddy shiver.

"Women, I'll never understand them…" He whispered more to himself but Ed heard it.

He nodded. "Yup, they don't even like buttered toast with gravy on it."

For the first time in a while Eddy understood what Ed meant by that. "Come on, we should get back." He put his hands in his pockets, dreading every step and he knew Ed did as well. When they got to his steps Eddy turned around to his bigger brother. "Hey, if things get rough call me, we can go hang out in the clubhouse if'ya want." As much as he didn't want him to call a large part of Eddy wished Ed just asked for them to go now.

"Ok, I will." Ed smiled back at the smaller boy and he nodded.

Dang it.

Eddy watched until Ed was in his house and unlocked the door with his keys. Every little sound was multiplied tenfold, the creaking porch when he stepped on it sounded like thunder, the door opening and squeaking was like cannons being shot right next to his ears. His dad wasn't on the couch, which worried him more than anything, if he wasn't sitting then he was mobile, stalking around the house for his next prey. It might be Eddy today. He closed the door and tip toed up the stairs, listening for anything that might be his father's footsteps.

When he finally got to the bathroom he cupped his hand and planted it against the door, putting his ear in the hole in his hand. He listened for a little while and when he didn't hear anything he opened the door again, more cannon noises shot throughout the house. He exhaled a breath of relief when there actually wasn't anyone in the bathroom and closed the door, locking it and standing still for a little bit while his heart slowed down.

Just staring at the lock, could it hold his dad out?

He didn't wait to find out and undressed, getting in the shower and turning it on. The warm water was more soothing than he had anticipated and he leaned his head down, letting the warm spray hit the back of his neck and travel down his face. He watched the streams of water fall from his hair and onto the floor with soft thuds. Some of them were black, probably from the greese of the car and he waited until they disappeared, putting on shampoo and washing himself with a bar of soap. Just as he walked out of the shower feeling more refreshed he heard the door open, more like felt it, the earthquake of his dad entering. He took his clothes and a towel and dashed into his room, not caring how much noise he made, he chose to go into his brother's room this time.

Luckily he wasn't there and Eddy locked the door with all of the locks his brother had put on there from previous times his dad tried to come int. He wouldn't be able to break these ones. He opened his brother's closet and put on the stray clothes he found on the ground, which were a black long sleeve, some black sweat pants with white lines running across the side and grey shoes. He was still a little wet and the clothes clung to his skin, but he just wanted to make sure if his dad decided to come up stairs that he was ready. He looked over at his discarded closes and saw the small lump in his back pocket, he pulled out the pocket knife and transferred it to his new pants.

He didn't want to use it.

Or maybe…

He waited for what seemed like days as he continued to cup his hand and listen to the outside world, still not able to hear anything he planted his ear on the door.

Nothing.

The club house, he needed to get to the clubhouse.

He opened the door.

Nothing in the hallway, the lights were off and he mentally patted himself on the back. His dad would have known he was here if he had the lights on. It made it harder to see but at least he didn't know just yet.

He crept along the wall, waiting for his dad to pop out of any of the doors and for him to scurry away. Just as he was getting to the stairs he heard a creak behind him and instantly turned around, his heart gripped in fear and adrenaline pumping through his system. He saw a body but it was too small and frail to be his dads.

"Eddy, what are you doing here?" It was his mom, moving closer to him and checking over him to make sure he was ok. She looked so thin, so old as her worried face scanned him.

"Needed to take a shower." Was his only answer, he still wasn't used to his mom like this. He looked at her wrist and saw the giant bruise on it, it was the shape of a hand and he clenched his fist.

Back in the old days his mom used to fight for them, back in those days he beat her down until she was only a shell of herself and now that that shell was being replaced with remnants of his old mom he was doing it again.

"Why did you let him do that?" He growled, nodding towards her wrist and she instinctively pulled it away.

She didn't look at him but answered. "He was upset, I couldn't get away fast enough." She made it sound like it was her fault!

His anger boiled his blood, he remembered the past when his dad would hit her and leave her on the rug. The time's his brother and him would hide out in his room and hear the thumps and thuds around the house. His hand snaked into his pocket and held the pocket knife so tightly his knuckles were white.

"You know that Erik's planning to take me away right?" An idea occurred to him and his grip loosened on his weapon. Her look of surprise told him that she didn't know. "Go with him, let him take you away and then…" But she shook her head and his idea halted in place. "Why?!" He hissed, looking behind him to make sure his dad didn't hear.

"I can't leave you hear Eddy…not with him." She sounded so tired, she motioned in his dad's direction with a limp arm. "Anyways, your dad…he can't lose any more than he has, he'd look for us."

Can't lose any more than he has.

What did that mean? Why was that so important to all of this, in the past he was never like what he was now, he never attacked them. Then it just changed one day and he turned into the monster he was now. Eddy didn't get it, what was the story that had been withheld from him so long?

"What?" He asked, his gaze shifting back to his moms soft eyes.

She shook her head, looking away again. "Not now Eddy…I can't tell you until you're ready."

His gaze became a glare, what was she doing to him? "When will I be ready, before or after that guy kills me?"

He realized he had crossed a line when she stared at him like he had just slapped her, her eyes watered and she rubbed them. She could only say I'm sorry and try not to sob so loudly. He didn't understand where this was all coming from.

"Why did you start helping me again?" He tried to distract her, the pang of guilt still in his chest but he needed to know.

She looked at him, a shaking hand reaching for him and darting back down when he flinched away. "I just…lost myself, I went to a bad place. When your brother and you used to hear me being beaten and didn't do anything I don't know. I just snapped and thought I'd do it to you as well." She shook her head and more tears flowed from her cheeks. "I know it's wrong, but I was scared, so scared."

Her answer wasn't all that bad, Eddy understood it actually. In a weird kind of was he understood it.

"T-then I saw that you were becoming the same person I was, and it hurt me so much." She gulped, looking behind him for a moment before she continued. "You looked at me with the same eyes he did, and I couldn't handle it anymore."

The same eyes as him. That's what really hit him hard, he always wished that him and his dad weren't so alike but deep down he knew they were. Just, something went wrong and his dad snapped, something that Eddy needed to find out.

Erik would probably know.

He heard his dad's voice from bellow. "Hello?" He wasn't slurring his words and he didn't sound all that drunk.

His mom shushed him, "Sneak past him and go to your old room." She whispered and wiped at her eyes before she came down the stairs. "Sorry that was just me."

Eddy pinned himself against the wall again, ready to spring into action if anything happened. He heard his dad grunt like he barely acknowledged her. He was ok with that, he'd rather him ignore her than give her his usual brand of _attention._

"What do you want to eat today, spaghetti or…" He heard her drop something and he shot out down the stairs like a bullet out of a gun. Making sure that he ran on the balls of his feet so that he didn't make too much noise. He saw his dad on the couch but he was looking over at his mother with his hand on the couch arm to start getting up. Eddy got to where his room door was and pressed his back against the wall again. He reached back in his pocket and waited.

If his dad moved, if he heard anything he didn't like he wasn't afraid to use it.

"Damn it…" He heard his father groan, but he went back to sit down and Eddy exhaled.

He snuck out his old room and back to the outside world. Someone texted him and he checked it, it was Allen.

He smiled, he needed to talk to someone like Allen.

Ed sat down away from his family, they were in the living room and he was sitting on the kitchen table. Eating the leftovers from yesterday, he guessed that's what everyone had he just got home late.

He was always too late to eat with his family. Always the outcast, always the one who would be subjected to being alone. It felt like he was always grounded in his house, he might as well just be in his room. He took another bite of his hotdog and stared at it in his hand, watched the mustard fall from it and onto the plate, he heard Sarah laugh about something and he clenched his jaw. He shook his head and sniffed. He didn't want to, he really didn't want to but he was beginning to dislike this place, this hostile environment. He wanted to go home but didn't know where to call home. He finished his hot dog and went to the living room.

Because why not right, it's not like he felt bad enough.

His parents really didn't look at him all that much when he walked in, they were sitting on either side of Sarah.

He sat by himself and mindlessly watched the T.V. he now understood what it was like for Eddy and Double-D when they watched his shows. To look at the T.V. but not comprehend anything that was coming from it, to not be entertained and only really see colorful items and characters move throughout the screen. His hands clenched the arm of the chair and he stole another glance at Sarah and her parents.

He felt like the odd man out, the one that shouldn't be there, but he hoped, he had always hoped that one day he would do something amazing and his parents would be back on his side and they would be a family again.

_But that all stopped when Sarah came along._

He gulped that idea down, that thought was bad, that one was really bad. He couldn't let that happen again. He was beginning to detest his sister, but it wasn't her fault, he was supposed to protect her and care for her but it was like she was stealing what he had always wanted. How was he supposed to protect something that hurt him so?

He got up and went to his room, sighing and sitting on his bed. Flipping through one of his comics and smiling to himself, this was more him. These were the moments in his life where he could find himself and block everything else out. In his comics he wasn't Ed the son that wasn't wanted, he was Floyed the barbarian that fought aliens. In this world he was accepted.

In the cage of his house he was an outcast.

He kept reading and didn't stop until he heard Sarah laugh again and crawled through his small window, shimming himself through it like a cat trying to get through a door. He started walking towards the clubhouse, he knew Eddy would be over there and he wanted to talk to him. He wanted to talk to Emma too.

He'd invite her over later though, when he and Eddy were ok with it and settled down a little. He wondered if his parents would notice he was gone. Probably not but he always hoped he'd get back and they'd be awake, worried about him. Sitting on the couch in their pajamas like in the cartoons, but this wasn't a cartoon he couldn't expect that.

He tucked himself in his coat, fog was rolling in when he got half way to the clubhouse. He swiped his hands through the cloudy mist that surrounded him. Dancing through it, taking steps through his cul-de-sac. This felt more home than his actual house and he laughed heartily while he moved through the clouds. When he finally got to the clubhouse he opened the door and looked around he saw Eddy and Allen sitting on the couch, they each waved at him when he walked in.

And he was home.

"Ed long time no see bud!" Allen got up and was already ready for the hug that Ed gave him. "Looks like that strength didn't disappear." He wheezed.

Eddy laughed and pat Ed on the shoulder. "You actually came, good."

Ed smiled at them while he continued to hug Allen. He was tapping his shoulder but Ed didn't understand why.

"Looks like he's tapping out Ed." Eddy laughed, leaning more on the couch now that Allen was off of it. Eddy looked comfortable, like he was in his element and even Ed noticed it.

He let Allen go and he looked up at Ed. "You smell…clean Ed."

Eddy looked baffled but still nodded." Ya…I heard he's been taking more showers lately, I just didn't think it would last." He pretended to wipe a tear out of his eye. "It's beautiful, lumpy I'm proud of'ya."

Ed liked being complimented like that. He didn't know why but he felt important all of a sudden.

"I try my best Eddy." Smiling at both of them.

Allen sat back on the couch, pushing Eddy with his shoulder. "You ready for soccer again Eddy?" he sounded excited about the topic.

Eddy shrugged. "I don't know, I made JV last time I aint gonna have that happen again." He clenched his fists, that was another cheap shot Kyle and them would use against him.

"You know it's because they can't have that many freshman on the team you're a good striker Eddy." He complimented, honestly as well. Allen had watched Eddy and would talk to the coach about it as well. "You scored like eleven goals last year!"

Another Shrug. "I mean I'm the best of the best just gotta prove it to the coach." And there was that confident smile that Allen wanted to see.

Eddy pat the seat next to him and Ed sat down on it, laughing at something that Allen said. He loved it here, not at his house but her he was a person, he was acknowledged.

He was loved.

Edd checked his hotel room. His was away from his parents of course. The compound had been amazing, he had seen scientists working, microscopes and tests being run. He was in his element, it lightened the somber mood that still haunted him and his parents but it didn't completely disappear. Now that they were alone it was different, his parents were already talking amongst themselves to see how to handle the situation the logical way.

That didn't make it the right way though.

He wanted them to be there but even when they were it just felt like there was a distance between them. He knew it was partially his fault for blowing up but he couldn't contain it anymore if he continued that façade, then he would risk losing himself. He loved his parents and all we wanted from them was to love him just as much but after learning that they were thinking about setting up a business somewhere else he started to doubt it.

No they wanted to bring him with them but why must he change his life just because they don't want to take a chance. He hoped he could change their mind, then he would have the best of both worlds.

"Eddward, can you come here for a moment?" His mother called, he knew this was coming and he calmly walked into the room. "We need to talk about what happened in the car." She didn't sound angry, actually her tone was more worried.

He sat down, it was moments like this where he missed his hat, in the old days he could have hidden under it, but he was exposed in this state especially with his hair shorter as well. He wasn't used to this kind of confrontation from his parents.

"I feel awful for what I did, I can't apologize enough." He wanted to start with that he really needed to do that. "I just, needed to express my discomfort with you leaving again." His hands were spread on the table and he watched them, trying to calculate what he would say next. "I just want to be a family again, and I need you both with me at Peach Creek for that to happen."

His dad, who had stayed quiet for a while, just watching him with those black eyes. Not judging, not soft either. He decided to speak. "You have to understand that this is a business, we have to set our company in the best environment." His eyes lingered on Edd and it made him feel vulnerable, here he was, the armor he had put on shed and left in the car where it should be. Now who they saw was Edd the man that had been built in Peach Creek.

In this state his parents could destroy him they could hurt him even more than there absence depending on what they said in this moment.

His hat, where was his hat?

"I wasn't joking when I said I had done the math, with the new amount of people that are supposed to come into the city the profit could be even larger then here." He was panicking, his voice showing that Double-D emotion.

His mom looked at him for a little longer than needed and he clenched his hands.

"Eddward, I just don't understand why you're fighting us on this so fiercely, you're idea is based on variables that we aren't certain on." She shook her head, her voice a little more tense than before. "I just think you should give it a chance so that you can be with us."

Eddward, that's the name only his parents called him. That's how they knew him but that wasn't him, he was Edd, Double-D, brother, all the other nicknames that the cul-de-sac kids called him. The people of his home.

He shook his head. "You took your chance when you started your business. Take another one by coming home and maybe you'll see how chances can become a good thing. It's not like you'll lose your business even if it doesn't go well in Peach Creek, you could always relocate but I don't think you'll have to." His tone was lower, neither in a good or bad way he was just getting more serious.

This was the first discussion they had ever had about a subject.

He made sure to put his hands on his lap so no one could see how tight they were, he wished he had cut his nails before but the pain in his palms was distracting.

His mother looked from him to his father like she was trying to pick a side. Logic, or feelings, a question he had asked himself since the first time his parents left. He thought he could emulate both but now that he looked at the differences between him and his parents he understood which side he was on, not theirs and that's all that mattered.

His father was quiet but continued to look at Edd, not like he was judging him but like he was trying to analyze him. He didn't know how he felt about being treated like some experiment but he had done the same with them so he couldn't be too mad.

Finally he smiled. "I think we can try to rearrange some things around, I'm not so certain but I can see if I could pull some strings. Maybe in a year or two."

Edd couldn't have been happier. "Father, I swear you won't regret this, I'll make sure to work with you as well so we can spend even more time together."

His mom put her hands up. "Not as long as you have school, you need to focus on that young man."

He laughed. "Of course mother, how could I have forgotten that?"

And it felt good in that moment. Like they were on the same team again, all they needed now was to fill the house with his laughter. To be together in a house that was so used to silence and drown the silence out with noise. To make the house that Edd would stare at from time to time and finally turn it into the building that it was supposed to be.

To turn it into a home.

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><p><strong>I wanted to show how their home lives are now and how they've evolved for either the bad or good. Also a little back story on Eddy's family seeing as it's so vague.<strong>

**Next chapter will be the conclusion to winter break for the Edd's and when Eddy finally meets his brother for the reunion. It'll be good, heartbreaking? Action packed? Depressing? I don't know I haven't written it yet haha**

**Review for me it would really help me work even faster than I am now which has been the fastest so far.**


	22. Just enough

**I like this chapter **

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Ed's or Ed Edd n Eddy…but I could travel back in time ya'know.**

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><p>Eddy walked out of the pizza shop with Ed, a giant smile on his face. "Look at that. We got ourselves jobs, we're working men now." And just so he didn't stray from old ways he rubbed his hands together. "Think of all the money we'll make, so many jawbreakers."<p>

The mention of the mouthwatering candy perked Ed's divided interest. "Jawbreakers Eddy!" He looked over at him like he had some in his hand and Eddy just shrugged.

"Not yet lumpy, but after our first paychecks we'll be rolling in'em." He felt happy saying that but he also felt as if he had a purpose now. It was true, now that Eddy Ed and Double-D had been hired it was as if he had cemented himself into the Cul-De-Sac.

The break was ending though, and for him to actually be here he would need to see his brother. He waved as Ed went in the opposite direction, going towards Emma's house and Eddy went to Kenzie's. The walk wasn't that far and when he got there he stood still, his hand extended to knock but the movement not coming to him. He was a little frightened, scared of what was to come when Kenzie's sister saw him. He gently tapped the door once and low and behold she answered a little later, wearing nothing but a towel that barely went to mid-thigh length.

"Hey boy toy." She greeted not at all suggestively but with what she was wearing it might as well have been. She turned around like everything was normal and continued to walk throughout the house, letting him in.

He tried to keep his eyes off of her but she was showing…a lot. He sat down on the couch, without looking up, twiddling his thumbs and blushing beat red. He didn't know what kind of game she was playing with him but whatever it was it was affecting the color of his face. He waited patiently while he guessed she changed, he wanted to call for Kenzie but he heard her talking to someone on the phone in another room. He hoped that the call would be quick and he could get to talk to her before he spoke with Kate. Today was the last day of break and he remembered his promise to let her see his brother but after learning that Erik might know what's up with his dad and how he turned the way he did he wanted to change the plans a little bit. He needed to talk to his brother before he let him see Kate, he needed to know about his dad before his brother scurried away.

Unfortunately Kate walked in first, her hair still wet and soaking the back of her black shirt but she didn't seem to mind, instead she sat close to Eddy and smiled at him. He gulped, trying to keep the heat from rising to his face from the girls closeness but he guessed it wasn't working by the way her eyes scanned his cheeks.

"So, your brother should be coming home soon." She said, and all of a sudden her hand was close to his, he couldn't look away from that spot and he tried to swallow but his mouth was completely dry. "I get to meet him right, where will he be and at what time?"

He knew the answers to both those questions, he would meet his brother by the city and it would be about ten at night but he couldn't tell her that just yet. "First, I have to tell you something about meeting him." He noticed how her hand inched away from his in that moment and he could feel the anger building up inside her. He quickly spoke before she could say anything. "You can still see him, I just need you to hide out for a little bit before you start talking with him, I need to ask him some questions."

She crossed her arms and glared at him, all previous signs of flirtation were gone and he felt more comfortable.

But also more in danger.

"And why should I care what you have to say to your brother? I thought you didn't like him." Her tone was different, in between that of someone who was angry and someone who was trying to take control.

That's what ticked Eddy off. "'Cause I'm the one that can show you where he is so if'ya don't listen then you aint gonna see him." He snapped she raised an eyebrow but didn't look taken aback at all.

"What do you have to talk to him about that's so important?" She questioned, tapping her finger absently against her arm.

He shook his head and glared back at her. "Something between just the two of us."

Kate didn't push any farther than that after seeing his eyes, how determined and angry they were but she did have advice for him. "I'm just going to tell you now, Kenzie doesn't like secrets, she doesn't like people dancing around things. In her life, that girl has had a lot of that kind of stuff happen to her, and she hates it." What she was saying was more to help Kenzie than it was for Eddy, she just wanted her sister happy and she knew this would help her.

He paused, thinking about what she had told him but knowing he couldn't do anything about it. Just not yet at least. "Ya I can see that." Was all he said, making sure to avoid her searching eyes.

She shook her head slowly, almost like she was disappointed in him and he could see a water droplet fall down her temple, down to her neck and then absorb into her shirt. He sighed, thinking of a way to change the subject.

"Ok, I'll give you a little bit of time with your brother but I still want to see him, make sure you aren't playing my sister."

He deflated then, he felt just a little lighter in that moment. "Ok, it won't take long…just need to hear a little story."

She doesn't question him after that, she understands that he is trying to hide something but knows she won't get anything out of him. His brother was like that too, always hiding something, the secret always an arm's length away and the second she would touch it he would pull it away as if he was toying with her.

She hated that part of the relationship the most.

What was their secret and why were they hiding it from everyone?

She shrugged and got up, it was then that he realized how short her shorts were and quickly looked the other way. If he checked her out he wondered how dead he would be tomorrow, obviously by the hands of Kenzie, his girlfriend finally walks into the living room with a worried glance his way. He wasn't blushing as hard but he did look a little flushed, she quickly sat next to him.

"What did she do?" She's close to him but not for the reason he wants, she's checking over him and making sure he isn't lying. He wants to kiss her but feels like it's the wrong move to make and it would only make her angrier.

He put his hands up in defense. "Nothing, just talked about hanging out later, if that's ok with you of course." He smiled at her in a way that made the moment a smidge less tense.

She glared at him thoroughly and he felt like the magic smile wasn't working. "Why do you want to hang out with my sister?"

He furrowed his brow, why did he have to defend himself from both sisters in one day. "We had a talk before and we didn't finish it, I need to prove her wrong about something."

The answer was too vague for Kenzie and she shook her head. "That doesn't help anything Eddy, I still don't know why you are going out with my sister."

He breathed exasperatedly and shook his head. "My brothers coming to town and she wants to see him." He can let that part out, it's not that bad at all and it could still explain enough to his curious girlfriend. He rubbed his hand through his hair, already getting a little irritated, his patience was already worn thin and he didn't blame anyone but his brother. Eddy looked over at her for a little longer trying to figure out if she believed him.

She nodded slowly, her bangs bouncing for a quick second and he reached over and grabbed her hand. Rubbing her knuckles with his thumb, he leaned closer, the couch making a crinkling noise when he did. He could read her through her eyes and her touch which was still hard and she gripped even tighter.

"It's just…my sister…she…" Her voice was dying off like she didn't want to talk, but he nudged her with his shoulder and continued to look at her. He wasn't pushing her, he didn't want to force her to talk because he knew if he were in the same predicament he wouldn't speak, but he wanted her to know that she could talk to him. "She was the reason I broke up with my last boyfriend."

The image of her in a towel flashed across his mind and he shook it out of his head. He could see how someone would fall for her, but had she responded? "Like she stole your boyfriend?" The thought was unsettling seeing as he had just had a conversation with her, and he would be alone with her soon enough.

"No, but I could tell my boyfriend liked her a lot more than he liked me…" She looked sad for only a moment before her vacant stare turned into a frown. "But he was a bad kisser anyways, when push comes to shove I knew he was a bad boyfriend, he was just my first." She shrugged, she looked like the old Kenzie again.

He wanted to show her that he wouldn't do anything with her sister, wanted to prove it but he couldn't the moment was too important to risk Kenzie meeting his brother. Her and his family couldn't mix, one was a ticking time bomb of epic proportion and one was strong enough to step up to it and take the explosion. Even after a year of dating he knew that she would still prize his safety over his preference of staying. He looked at her now and wanted to tell her, wanted to show her but knew it wasn't going to happen.

He was scared.

"Eh, she's ok I guess but she's not like you Kenzie, I mean have you seen that nose thing, bleh." He stuck his tongue out and pointed to his throat like he was going to throw up and she punched him on the arm, smiling.

"That's still my sister, you can't talk about her like that." Now she really looked like the old Kenzie.

He looked at her and kissed the top of her head, hoping it made her feel better. "Oop's you gotta tell me stuff like that before I bad mouth her." He smiled and she nuzzled closer to him while he opened his arm to hold her. He wanted her to feel safe with him.

He would need to lie to make that happen.

He peaked over her head and looked at her smiling face, content with what he saw he sighed and smiled as well. Until he saw her sister looking at him from the hallway, Kenzies back was turned so she couldn't but he saw the disappointed look in her eyes and she shook her head and walked away. He felt disgusting all of a sudden and let her go, a little too quickly and the cold air rushed over his arm. She looked at him skeptically but didn't say anything about it. He wished she had because in that moment he felt like he would have given her a clue to what he was really doing.

But the time passed and nothing happened.

He got up and scratched the back of his head. "Let's go on a date one of these days," He wanted to make it up, even if it were just a little. "I'll even pay…maybe." He was at first ok with the idea but then shivered at the fact of him spending money.

She raised a weary eyebrow. "Are you going to die or something, you spending money on me would worry me more than anything."

Eddy shrugged with a smile. "Hey I have to do something to shake up this relationship, I can't have you predictin' me."

"Wow, Edd is really teaching you words, predicting is a new one even if you said it wrong."

"….I didn't say it wrong…"

The ride back to the airport was both disappointing and enlightening. His parents were actually quizzing him on things that he might learn after the break and he happily answered them. Correctly he might add. His father was of course happy but his mother expected such results and just gave him a light smile when she read over some of his answers. He felt like he had disappointed her in a sense. After the argument had died down she had went right to the room and didn't leave for quite some time. His father had said she was just coping with the idea of moving the business but Edd thought it was something entirely different.

She was coping with him.

After all these years of thinking he was something she hadn't predicted he had changed right before her eyes, even doing the unthinkable and yelling at them to their faces. His mother didn't know this new Edd, the real Edd who had hid away from them when they entered the house and reappeared when they had left. Maybe she missed that Edd, maybe he was the one that she had loved and this new one was just under her expectations but he didn't let his mind wander there, not just yet. One fight at a time was how families worked, or at least that's what he thought.

Traffic had been really bad and even though they had left very early they still got to the airport with not much time to spare. He could tell his mother was very apprehensive because she tapped her hands together on her lap which was a tell-tale sign that she was nervous about the time. He smiled at it though, he liked seeing her express her emotion even if it were negative, he wanted to know they felt just like he could, he wanted to reach to those emotions and find the similarities that they shared. He really had no idea which traits he got from his mother and which he got from his father simply because they were a void of emotion. He wanted to know which aspects he got from each of them. If he could find similarities then maybe he could communicate with them. He could learn to love them and them to love him. Even now he felt like that love wouldn't come easy, it would be difficult, he would have to earn their love but he was willing to work as hard as he could to get their love. They boarded the plane right on time and his thoughts switched to his friends. He hoped they were ok without him but he just felt like something was off and he could trace that feeling back to Eddy every single time. He would be meeting his brother today and even though he said he wouldn't leave there was always that nagging feeling that his brother might convince him to leave because what he had here was already pretty bad. Not just bad, terrible, he looked from his mother to his father and then his sweaty palms.

He wasn't helping.

And that little idea that was never supposed to ever enter his head, that idea that Eddy had spent years drilling out of him assaulted his brain like a cancer. His heart burned and he wanted to throw up but kept it at bay with a ragged breath. Edd had been able to identify with Eddy in a sense, not exactly so but enough to know that his home life was bad and so was his. Not nearly as detrimental but he could relate to the pain of having a family that just wasn't the ideal one. Now though he didn't have that relation with him. Something was different and he was looking from the other side of the spectrum, his parents were going to be with him and they were understanding, they would never hit him like his father did. He was loved and cared for and now that he knew that he couldn't understand Eddy's constant pain and struggle. Maybe going with his brother would help, this must have been the dilemma that Eddy had worked past before, and Edd wasn't helping.

No, Eddy would be able to decide what was best for him, but that nagging feeling stayed with him. Even as he continued to push it down further and further, until he eventually forgot about it. That is until it would fester and control him again, he didn't know if he could fight the feeling off but he hoped and that was what steadied his heartbeat.

Eddy could do it, if anyone could it was definitely Eddy.

Ed sat down on a log with Emma in the forest, they were at the watering hole and he was pointing things out to her. Things that they had done when they were younger that made her laugh so hard she had to cover her mouth, she was blushing out of embarrassment but it was cute. He liked moments like this with Emma because they were always so few and in between. He was busy with his life and Emma was as well. She had a lot going on in her life, she had to impress her parents while at the same time feeling stressed out from school. She was pretty smart he had learned, not on par with Double-D but she could hold her own with him if she wanted to. She was so shy though, so easily susceptible to be led by other people. He wondered if the Emma he was talking to now was who she really wanted to be or the girl who had been trapped inside a cage and now just let it happen.

He blinked back the ideas, he didn't like those ones. She held his hand and nuzzled into his broad shoulders.

"We should do this more often." She looked so snug against him. Her green eyes searching his to find an answer.

He nodded and gestured to the forest with his hand. "Ya, I have so many other stories to tell you, it'll be fun." He kissed the top of her head, unconsciously smelling her sweet shampoo.

She didn't seem to notice and held onto his arm tighter, and then seemed to remember something and jumped a little. "Oh ya, how is Eddy doing by the way?"

Ed raised an eyebrow, slightly worried by her words. "What do'ya mean?"

She gave him a conscientious look and then switched to not looking at him at all. Like she was trying to hold back something but he didn't let her, he nudged the side of her face until she looked back at him. "Well I don't know I just heard that he is planning to hang out with Kenzie's sister, and it's not a good idea. I mean she had problems with this before…" She scratched the back of her head, she was keeping a secret from him, and he understood why, he was keeping them from her.

"Eddy is fine, I don't know why he would hang out with her big sis though." He shrugged it off but thought to check in on it later. There was a worrisome feeling building up inside him and he didn't enjoy it one bit. He knew there were problems with Eddy and his parents, knew what was going on but was still out of the loop about it and it always made him sad.

He would definitely confront Eddy about it later. He wanted to help him out and for him to do that he had to be informed. He kept a straight face and Emma didn't ask him anymore about it. Even though Ed felt as if she wanted to know more, he didn't have the answers to give her and despite his strength he felt weak in that moment. The thing was though that Emma never let him feel like that for long, she comforted him with small kisses to his cheek and warm touches to his arm. She helped him to do something that he never thought he needed someone else for, not thinking.

He didn't want to think about what he was going to do later on, didn't want to think about much, he just wanted to stay with her. Emma made him feel like he was someone important and maybe it was a little selfish to think like that but it was the truth. They were at the water hole for a while, actually until it was dark and Emma said she had to go home before her parents got worried.

He nodded. "You want me to walk you home?"

She smiled, kind of expecting the answer holding his hand and standing up. "Of course."

It was actually pretty dark outside, Ed wondered what time it was but didn't really care. He kept chatting with Emma until he saw a yellow spot pushing through a bush, it was Eddy with a girl next to him that looked somewhat like Kenzie.

He blinked at the similarity but knew right away that it wasn't his brother's girlfriend. It must have been her sister like Emma had said before. He watched, looking at both their mannerisms, it wasn't like he didn't trust Eddy, it was the girl that he was fearful of.

Emma nudged him with her arm. "Go with them." She was whispering, they hadn't seen either one of them yet.

Ed looked from his brother to his girlfriend. "B-but I gotta get you home." He looked at her worryingly, there was a part of him hoping that she would let him go though, and she did, giving him a quick peck on the lips and pushing him towards them.

He gave her a sad smile before running over to them and scaring them with a shout. "Hi guys!"

Eddy looked like he was going to jump out of his skin but when he saw it was Ed his face lightened up. "Hey there lumpy."

It was the sister that gave him a look that sent shivers down his body. "Who's this?" She didn't even acknowledge him and went straight to looking at Eddy.

Ed might have pouted but Eddy gave her the glare she deserved. "This is Ed, he'll be coming with us." He didn't even let her say anything else to that and kept walking, Ed just shrugged and followed right behind while she stayed close to his side as if she were afraid he would run away.

"So, when are we going to see him?" She sounded impatient, but also threatening.

Eddy gave her a side look and rolled his eyes. "Hold your stinking horses, he'll get here when he gets here." He pointed at her firmly. "And ya better wait before you come out I got some stuff to say to him."

She responded by rolling her eyes back and him and he growled.

Usually Ed felt like he should stop the tension but he didn't understand what was going on. "Eddy?" That was all he had to say.

Eddy looked back at him, a glint of guild shone in them before he reached over and pat him on the shoulder gently. "That's right I haven't told'ya what's going on." He took a breath and looked over at the girl before he spoke. "We're gonna go see my brother pretty soon, he wants to take me away." And the hurt expression was enough to stun Eddy for a quick second before he continued. "But I decided to stay here so I'm tellin' him no today."

Ed was shocked by the news and almost teared up, how had all of this been going on and he had been clueless? There weren't that many signs that would have pointed that out to him if he would have tried to read the situation, then again he was never good at reading situations.

He just didn't get it, but he never really could. Not if they didn't tell him at least. "Eddy you should'a told me!" He pouted, his lip jutting out and sniffled in a sad reprieve.

Eddy gave him a sad smile and nodded. "I know and I won't do it again, I learned to not do that a while ago."

That seemed to be enough for an explanation because he didn't continue talking, just walked until they got to a clearing and a parking lot that was on the outskirts of the forest, near the ciry. Eddy sat down on a concrete block that was on the graveled ground and looked out towards the entrance. Ed looked over at the diner that's florescent light shone brightly and cut through the sky. It hurt his eyes when he stared too long so he sat down next to Eddy and waited for him to speak. Kenzies sister went into the diner without saying anything, probably giving them their space.

"Ya'know, I didn't think I'd ever see him again when we left the park." Eddy spoke up, still not looking over at Ed.

He understood that, the memory itself was enough to scare him stiff so he tried not to think about it but he nodded. "I didn't either, he's scary Eddy."

The smaller boy nodded and scratched his head. "It's weird seeing him again after these years, I don't even know for sure what I'm gonna do or how I'll act."

Ed wished he was like Double-D in that moment, had the answer or the smart word to sum up the feelings. Instead he just grabbed Eddy's shoulder and pulled him in like he would Emma, just in a different kind of way. It didn't feel romantic but brotherly, comforting in a whole different way.

Eddy didn't say anything for once and just accepted the small hug from the larger boy. No words needed to be said, this was enough, it had always been enough.

They waited for a while before a car pulled up and Eddy pushed him over to the diner. "Wait in there 'till I tell you to come out, don't let Kenzies sister out either."

Ed saluted him and nodded when Eddy turned around. "Go get'em Eddy!"

He smiled as he walked over to the car, he didn't think he would have smiled if Ed wasn't there, knew he wouldn't have.

His brother walked out of the car and looked from side to side until he saw his little brother. He didn't smile just nodded at him and then the car. "So, you coming or what?"

It was weird that after all the time that had passed he went right to the basic core of the problem. Eddy could respect that out of anyone else's mouth, but not his. "I got something to ask'ya before I answer that." He stood his ground in front of his brother, not even trembling.

He raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Shoot me a question then."

Eddy's rage was there, he was so mad and he wanted nothing more than to run over and punch his brother but it wasn't the time. "Dad, why did he start beating us, what caused it?"

A harsh wind blew but if he was cold he couldn't feel it, his mouth was dry but his brother looked calm in-front of him. That is until he looked down at the ground and put his hands in his pocket. "So mom hasn't told you yet huh? That makes sense…" The anger swirled within Eddy but it wasn't enough for him to do anything rash…at least not yet. "If mom didn't tell you then I can't, that's a secret that only she can talk about, personally I don't know enough about it to even tell you."

Eddy charged at him, the gravel slipping against the forceful push of his feet. It didn't make him slip but fueled his anger, like the ground itself was trying to stop him. This would help him in the same way it helped Allen when he hit him, this had to help him.

"Ya'see you get mad just like him."

The sentence stopped him fist still clenched and raised to punch his brother. Teeth clenched so tight they hurt his jaw. How had this been turned around so quickly on him, only his brother could do something like this, it had to be a trick, had to! "I'm nothing like him!" Eddy snapped, looking up at his brother straight in the eyes.

"No, not yet, I got his torturous spirit and you got his anger." He leaned against the car, his hands still in his pocket. "Which sucks cause you're closer to being like him then I could have been."

Eddy couldn't breathe, he stumbled backwards and clenched at his chest. He couldn't be his dad, how was he growing up like him when he hated the man so much? "…No…way." He still fought it, with every last fiber of his being he fought that thought.

His brother looked at him, a small smirk on his face that Eddy wished to wipe off but didn't know what that would do for him. "Nope, you got a little mom in you too, sadistic in a way. Don't you see, we're fucked from both sides, either way the way we were raised and how we grew up we're gonna be terrible people." He took a step forward, the crunch of the gravel sounded like a cannon going off to Eddy. "Even if you go with me you're screwed but at least you're farther away from them, this is the only thing I can do for'ya kid so come on and let's see how far we can get away before we get stopped."

Eddy dared a look over at his brother's car and took a shuddered breath. Was that what his brother was living for? Just run and run until someone or something stopped that momentum. What he said before still beat at Eddy's brain. He was done for either way, there was no escape, only hell and fire awaited him from either direction and he had fought it so hard. He was fighting a losing battle from both sides and the small world he had built in the middle was coming apart.

If he fought, he'd become his dad.

If he gave up, his mom.

If he ran, his brother.

What was left for him to do, what path was there to follow? What did he need to get out of this hell he had found himself in?

Strength.

"No…I AINT RUNNIN'!" He stood up, hot tears streaming down his face. He lived by that word, if there was no path for him to follow he would make his own! "I got way too much here to give up on, I'll get out of this my way and do more than any of you ever could!" The tears didn't make him feel weaker, if anything they helped him clench his hands even tighter.

His brother seemed angered by that response and pulled his own hands out. "You really think you can do that runt? Who died and made you king of the world?"

"You did when'ya left!" They charged at each other, fists raised and ready before someone moved past Eddy and grabbed his brother by the collar, pushing him against the car and shielding him away from Eddy.

It was Ed, the hulking figure stood toe to toe with his brother, but he wasn't staring at his brother, he was looking back at Eddy. "N…no! Don't fight!"

Eddy stared wide eyed at Ed, stunned at what he was seeing. Ed had been physical for his sake. Kate walked past him, or rather strutted past him and gently pushed past Ed. His brother was so surprised to see her that he didn't even say anything.

She slapped him, hard enough to echo in the cold night air and even make Eddy flinch. She didn't even turn around to see their stunned expressions.

She spoke without even looking back at them. "You got your time with him, now its mine." Her voice was stable, they couldn't have left quick enough.

Her eyes pierced through him in a threatening way that was unique to her. "Why did you leave...you told me you loved me and you up and left, I loved you…" Eddy could hear her from behind the tree they were pressed against, hiding to see what would happen.

This whole revenge thing was for love? He stuck his tongue out at Ed in a disgusted way, basically to say ew. Then he thought about it for a second, how could she fall in love with someone like that? His brother was a terrible person. When he peaked past the tree it was the first time he had seen his brother look so sad, eyes drooped and hands at his side, unfolded and useless.

"I want it back." She pointed to something that was on him and he smiled at her, a sad one that held so much history that Eddy couldn't read.

He unclasped a necklace that Eddy hadn't noticed around his neck and pulled the chain until a ring popped out of his shirt. It gleamed and sparkled and he only gave it a quick look before he gave it to her outstretched hand. It made a light clinking noise when all of it fell in her palm. She looked just as sad as he did.

"I was hoping I'd see you again, and I left because…well'ya know life things." He scratched the back of his head in an awkward attempt to just do something, the motion looked a lot like how Eddy would do it, head down, trying to look away. "I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay with you…but I don't know I didn't think you wanted me around anymore since I hid so much stuff from you." He actually looked weak in that moment, in a whole other way that Eddy hadn't seen in a long time, and didn't think he'd ever see again.

She kissed him, probably because she missed him, probably because she loved him. Eddy didn't really care, instead he pulled Ed away from the moment and walked in silence. Maybe that's how his mother had fallen in love with his dad, just on a whim and even with the lies and decite and pain that clung to him like ash if someone could look past that they might be able to unlock who it really was behind it all.

For his dad it was a mongrel, his brother could possibly be more, but he doubted it. His brother was scum, maybe Kate could change that. Either way it didn't stop him from thinking about who he was and what he would become.

Ed put his arm around him while they walked and it warmed him up slightly. No words, no need for them. That's the kind of relationship they had with each other. So when Eddy reached over and put his arm around Ed, it meant a lot more than anything else he could have said as well.

* * *

><p><strong>So this is probably my longest chapter yet. Ok ok! This is it, after this one it will be sunshine and lollipops for everyone…for now :P everything now will be happier because life will finally get easier for the poor kids. They've been through enough now its time for them to enjoy school! I promise the next chapter will have a lighter mood, actually quite funny :) I don't want to make their lives seem so dark but this is how life is sometimes.<strong>


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